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Showing posts from June, 2014

Google's 5 Exciting Projects which can change the world

#5 NEST This project of Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has a lot of expectations and it is seen as a competitor for  Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) ’s home pack where a user can control most appliances at home via an iPhone or an iPad. NEST project is a package which controls most appliances in your home. This venture makes digital smoke alarms and thermostats. The real competition would start when Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) release its smart home package. Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has paid #3 . 2 billion in 2013, double than what the company paid for YouTube. This project boasts that a user can control whole home from a phone. #4 Project LOON The experimental pilot project began in 2013 in New Zealand and it intends to bring the internet to rural and remote areas which cannot think of the Internet in the near future. This project of Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) boasts of providing internet to everyone from balloons. However, this project has a tough competition from  Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:

All is fair in love,war and stocktrade?- hedge funds are under cyber attacks

For about two years, US hedge funds have been under stealthy attacks from cyber-criminals intent on intercepting trading strategies in order to profit from front-running and other illicit maneuvers, cyber-security experts say. That hidden cyber-crime trend was highlighted Thursday when an unnamed US-based hedge fund was reported to have been hacked and its stream of high-speed trade data intercepted by cyber-criminals. They, in turn, apparently used the data to make their own trades first, according to a British cyber-security company. The criminals inserted malware onto the hedge fund trading system platform that in turn caused an almost imperceptible microsecond or two delay to each of the speedy trades – enough to allow the criminals to do their own trading ahead of the company,  BAE Systems  Applied Intelligence experts said. For about two years, US hedge funds have been under stealthy attacks from cyber-criminals intent on intercepting trading strategies in order to prof

Gold Most Bullish Since 2012 as Goldman Sees Slump

Gold is getting more attractive to hedge-fund managers even as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. says the metal’s surprising rally this year will soon fizzle. Hedge funds  and other speculators expanded  bets  on higher prices for a fourth week in  New York  futures and are now the most bullish since December 2012, government data show. While gold is off to its best start in six years after topping $1,350 an ounce, Goldman’s  Jeffrey Currie  says chances are increasing that prices will slump to $1,000 for the first time since 2009. http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-09/gold-most-bullish-since-2012-as-goldman-sees-slump-commodities.html

Bond Yields Lowest Since Napoleon Are No Comfort to Europe Amid Deflation Fight

Photographer: Jasper Juinen/Bloomberg Mario Draghi, president of the ECB Europe ’s lowest government bond yields since the Napoleonic Wars are signaling investors want more action from  Mario Draghi . Instead of a vote of confidence, the most pronounced rally in 200 years suggests the European Central Bank president needs to stave off the risks of stagnation and deflation. Austria, Belgium,  France (GFRN10)  and  Germany  can borrow at lower  rates (GDBR10)  than the U.S. as  inflation  less than half the ECB’s target stokes concern the  euro zone  will take many years to recover from its longest-ever recession. http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-02/napoleon-s-yields-no-comfort-to-draghi-fighting-deflation.html ====== More Easy Money Won’t Fix Global Deflation, Will Worsen Inequality: Bond yields are – once again —  plunging worldwide . The reason for this revived buying among fixed-income investors is that central banks are – once again – signa

Global deflation risk as EU deflation risk seen by 74% in poll: Bloomberg

Risks of prolonged market turmoil in  emerging markets  and of deflation in the euro area are threatening the world’s improved economic prospects, according to the  International Monetary Fund . The IMF, in a staff  report  prepared for central bankers and finance ministers from the Group of 20, said the recovery is still weak and “significant downside risks remain.” A January global growth forecast of 3.7 percent for this year, from 3 percent in 2013, hinges on recent market volatility from  Turkey  to  Brazil being short-lived, according to the report. “Capital outflows, higher interest rates, and sharp   currency depreciation   in emerging economies remain a key concern,” according to the report prepared ahead of the G-20 Feb. 22-23 meeting in Sydney. From Blomberg Feb 2014: http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-19/imf-warns-g-20-of-risks-of-deflation-emerging-market-turmoil.html   ====== Europe Deflation Risk Seen by 74% in Global Investor Poll Deflation Risk Japa

7 Point Checklist To Make Sure The Property You Buy is Legally Clear in India

Here you will find listed the main things that you need to check to make sure the property you are buying is legally transparent. 1. Check for clear title papers It is essential that you check the legal documents of a property before you make the payment for it. The most important of which is checking if the title is clear or not and regarding this it is advisable to consult a property lawyer. 2. Check to see if it is approved by leading banks One sure way of knowing if the property is more or less legally clear is to see if it has been approved by leading banks. Banks will only approve of properties which have legal clearances with valid documents. 3. Check if there are any mortgages on the property (in case of resale) An individual who owns a property can avail of a loan against it. While buying a property (in case of resale), be sure to make a thorough research if the property has been mortgaged or not. 4. Check the constructed area and the sanctioned area

Which company's 350 alumni run $1 billion plus companies each ?

The churn rate of companies has gone up significantly. In 1935, the average lifetime for an S&P 500 company was 90 years; today, it is about 18 years, says  Dominic Barton I think the key thing is that we are very fortunate with respect to the incoming talent we attract. I will always remember  Marvin Bower  telling me that you win or lose on the talent that comes through your door. If you attract the best people, they are, in a sense, by definition going to do very well. For the 2,200 consultants that we hire each year, we look at about 225,000 applicants. I knock on wood when I say this, but we're fortunate to be at an 87 per cent acceptance rate on the offers we make. Despite the ups and downs of the economy, we've consistently been able to get more than our fair share of great people. The second thing is our focus on leadership development. We spend about $120,000,000 per year on various training programmes for our people. More importantly, in our job design, we tr

Mc Kinsey:Five world megatrends that are converging to great effect.

The churn rate of companies has gone up significantly. In 1935, the average lifetime for an S&P 500 company was 90 years; today, it is about 18 years, says  Dominic Barton A recent Economist article indicates that the global consulting industry is going 'gangbusters' at the moment, with double-digit growth amidst all the economic doom and gloom. Why this is? I think it's because we're in such a period of profound change - and I actually believe that this will continue for the next 20 to 30 years. There are five particular megatrends that are converging to great effect. The first shift is the re-rise of Asia and Africa's emergence: 2.2 billion people will join the middle class in Asia and Africa in the next 15 to 20 years - half from China alone. The second shift is disruptive technology: this is changing three times faster than management and presents both an opportunity and a challenge. The third shift is resource scarcity. With so many new consumers wanting t

It's time to legalize insider trading

M&A is on fire again, and according to a new study from professors at the Stern School of Business at NYU and McGill University, so is insider trading. The study says that up to a quarter of all M&A deals may foster some level of insider trading.  As insider trading is clearly already pervasive, and a significant use of time and resources, I think it's time to finally legalize insider trading. That assertion sounds shocking and awful — how could anyone advocate for insider trading? I encourage you to read beyond the headline to think about the role of information, the lack of victims and the actual analysis of what trading on non-public information means. For clarification, I am speaking purely about the legality of trading on insider information. I do believe strongly that those with access to information should ethically and morally respect any confidentiality agreements and fiduciary duties with the companies from where they are accessing the information, but

My blog crosses 1 lac hits today

My blog crosses 1 lac hits today. It has info mainly focused to make us literate in basic economics and finance. Thus mainly there are posts about personal finance management and economic issues. Below are hit statistics country wise. Click image to enlarge.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) PPT on growth trends 2014

OECD Forum  2014 was truly a “meeting of minds”. The discussions on Inclusive Growth, Jobs and Trust will remain at the top of the agenda view the Presentation below  http://www.slideshare.net/oecdeconomy/oecds-economic-projections-launch-6-may-2014?utm_source=slideshow&utm_medium=ssemail&utm_campaign=weekly_digest

India despeately needs old homes

The abuse of elderly people in India has risen drastically as per a survey conducted by HelpAge India, a non-governmental organisation which fights isolation, poverty and neglect of the elderly. The survey conducted in 12 cities across eight States, including Madurai, indicated that 50 per cent of the elderly people surveyed experienced different forms of abuse such as verbal abuse, disrespect, physical abuse and neglect. In 2013, the per cent stood at 23. Report District Collector L. Subramanian on Friday released the nationwide report on ‘Elder Abuse’ based on the findings, ahead of the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, being observed on June 15. Fifty eight per cent of the elderly people surveyed in Madurai said they experienced physical and verbal abuse. Last year, 63 per cent of the elderly said they faced abuse. The survey indicated that 60 per cent of the elderly people were abused by their daughters-in-law and 57 per cent by their sons. Madurai has witnessed a

Can mamta Banerjee top Modi? Bengal aims for 10% economic growth

TheWest Bengal government is aiming for a  state domestic product  (SDP) growth of 10 per cent, twice the  economic growth  of the entire country, according to its finance minister  Amit Mitra . The SDP for  West Bengal  during 2013-14 was 7.71 per cent. His comments come at a time when the World Bank has scaled down its estimate for India's economic growth for this financial year to 5.5 per cent from 5.7 per cent projected in April. "The growth rate of industrial production, agriculture output in West Bengal is above the national average. Our nation has seen growth but without jobs. InWest Bengal, both economic growth and job creation are given equal importance. The Mamata Banerjee-led government wants growth. We want 10 per cent rate ofgrowth in Bengal," Mitra, also the state's commerce and industries, and information technology minister, said during his speech in a banking seminar organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC). He added the government was act

Abnormally high cost of healthcare for US citizens vs rest of the world although life expectance lower than many developed countries.

Ref http://thesocietypages.org/graphicsociology/2011/04/26/cost-of-health-care-by-country-national-geographic/

Another devastating housing crash on the way: the International Monetary Fund warns

The world must act to contain the risk of another devastating housing crash, the International Monetary Fund warned on Wednesday, as it published new data showing house prices are well above their historical average in many countries. To learn about the earlier bubble which triggered great crisis  of 2007-2009 which afected the whole world. The  United States housing bubble  is an  economic bubble  affecting many parts of the  United States   housing market  in over half of American states. Housing prices peaked in early 2006, started to decline in 2006 and 2007, and reached new lows in 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_housing_bubble The warning from the IMF shows how an acceleration in global house prices from already high levels has emerged as one of the major threats to economic stability, with countries making limited progress in keeping them under control. Min Zhu, the IMF's deputy managing director, said the tools for containing housing boo

How $170,000 in Options Moved Clorox Shares $450 Million

Just before 1 p.m. on June 9, 5,700 options tied to  Clorox Co. (CLX)  were bought on U.S. markets for about $170,000. Traders snapped up the underlying stock and within half an hour, more than $450 million had been added to the bleachmaker’s shares. Ten days earlier, RadioShack Corp., the struggling electronics retailer, jumped as much as 33 percent, adding $40 million to its stock capitalization, after someone purchasing $600,000 in bullish call contracts ignited a rally in the equities. The stock rose to $1.45 from $1.32. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-12/options-bleeding-to-stocks-drive-clorox-radioshack-gains.html

The smartphone messenger war - its just begun or nearly over?

Facebook Inc. (FB)  is adopting a multifront strategy to woo fickle smartphone users who crave a variety of ways to send messages to friends. The social network has made two big moves in messaging in just the past five months. In February, Facebook agreed to buy startup WhatsApp Inc. for $19 billion. This week, it followed up by recruiting  EBay Inc. (EBAY) ’s PayPal President David Marcus to run its other messaging efforts including Messenger, which Facebook started requiring people to use for messaging in April. In an age when e-mail is losing its cachet, especially among the young, Messenger and WhatsApp provide Facebook with different ways into messaging. WhatsApp, which is more popular in Europe and  Asia , looks spare and will remain simple, its founders have said. By contrast, Messenger, which has virtual stickers of smiling pandas and other features, may keep expanding on what it offers. Marcus will have the freedom to experiment and try different things with Messenger t

Spain wants removal of the king as royal family allegedly corrupt !! Economy in shatters

Spain is asking for democracy because of the problems with its economy and allegations of corruption on the king's family. The majority of Spaniards want a referendum on the future of the monarchy, according to a poll published less than a week after  King Juan Carlos abdicated in favour of his son . Nearly two-thirds – 62% – believe a referendum should be held "at some point" to decide whether  Spain  should continue to have a monarchy, the survey in centre-left daily newspaper El Pais showed. Spain is second from top. Greece is ninth. 2010 unemployment data of Europe shows how fragile which country in europe is. Spanish king's daughter charged in corruption inquiry http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/03/us-spain-royals-idUSBRE9320I420130403 1 OF 3.  Spain's Infanta Cristina kisses a Spanish flag during an official function of Spanish Civil guard in Seville in this October 7, 2008 file photo. ----- King of Spain's son-in-law to face

Uber Attains Eye-Popping New Levels of Funding

Only a few months ago, Silicon Valley start-ups were celebrated for drawing investors into paying for multibillion-dollar valuations. But on Friday Uber, the car ride service, climbed to an entirely new level. The  company announced on Friday  that it had raised $1.2 billion from investors at an eye-popping $17 billion valuation. It is the biggest haul so far by any member of Silicon Valley’s “11-digit club,” those companies that have gained  valuations of at least $10 billion . Among them are Airbnb, the home-rental site; Dropbox, the online file-storage provider; and Xiaomi, a Chinese handset maker. But Uber’s new net worth, which excludes the latest round of money, is one of the highest ever attained by a start-up. And it is much higher than it was just 10 months ago, when the company  raised money at a roughly $3.5 billion level . At its new valuation, the four-year-old service commands a higher worth than traditional car rental companies like  Hertz Global Holdings