Thursday, January 31, 2013
Hong Kong shares slip from peak, but score 5th monthly rise
Hong Kong shares slipped from a 21-month high on Thursday, trimming January’s gains, as investors turned cautious following a batch of profit warnings and knocked the Hang Seng Index off its most overbought levels in almost a month.
The Hang Seng Index closed down 0.4 per cent on the day, but up 4.7 per cent on the month at 23,729.5. The China Enterprises Index of the top Chinese listings in Hong Kong shed 0.3 per cent on Thursday, but rose 6.1 per cent in January.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/money/stock-talk/article/1140265/hong-kong-shares-slip-peak-score-5th-monthly-rise
Honda trims full-year profit forecast, but quarterly rises
Fallout from the Diaoyu Islands dispute has taken the shine off earnings at Honda Motor, which trimmed its annual net profit forecast by 1.3 per cent to 370 billion yen, saying that a weak European market is also taking its toll on Japan’s third biggest automaker.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1140224/honda-trims-full-year-profit-forecast-quarterly-rises
Deutsche Bank bleeds red ink over cleanup
Deutsche Bank’s posted a fourth-quarter pretax loss of 2.6 billion euros (US$3.5 billion) hit by hefty litigation and restructuring charges as the bank downsizes to a leaner investment banking environment under new leadership.
Germany’s largest lender said strong operating results at its business divisions were overshadowed by a 1.9 billion euro goodwill impairment to pay for a new divisional structure and to hive off assets into a non-core unit.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1140223/deutsche-bank-bleeds-red-ink-over-cleanup
Hong Kong shares nudged off 21-month high, China tepid
Hong Kong shares slipped from a 21-month high on Thursday, as investors turned cautious following a batch of profit warnings, knocking the Hang Seng Index off its most overbought levels in almost a month.
The Chinese steel and shipping sectors dominated the more than 10 profit warnings posted by Hong Kong-listed companies overnight, while mainland property developers slid after local media reported the Beijing city government had submitted a property tax plan to the State Council for approval.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/money/stock-talk/article/1140205/hong-kong-shares-nudged-21-month-high-china-tepid
Smartphone maker RIM hopes it has the right number
BlackBerry launched its comeback effort yesterday with a revamped platform and a pair of sleek new handsets, along with a company name change as part of a move to reinvent the smartphone maker.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1139779/smartphone-maker-rim-hopes-it-has-right-number
Growing debt burden in mainland provinces causes concern
The debts of four provinces - Hubei, Jilin, Hainan and Hunan - are "fairly high" and may result in "high financial risks", said Terry Gao, an associate director at Fitch yesterday.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1139695/growing-debt-burden-mainland-provinces-causes-concern
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
US economy unexpectedly shrinks 0.1pct in fourth quarter
Gross domestic product fell at a 0.1 per cent annual rate after growing at a 3.1 per cent clip in the third quarter, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1139590/us-economy-unexpectedly-contracts-fourth-quarter
Spanish economy plunges in final quarter of last year
Spain’s economy shrank at the fastest pace in more than three years in the final quarter of last year, official data showed on Wednesday, casting a shadow over the prospects of nearly six million unemployed.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1139563/spanish-economy-plunges-final-quarter-last-year
Hong Kong shares climb to 21-month high, China back at May peaks
Hong Kong shares climbed to their highest since end-April 2011 on Wednesday, helped by strength in China-related counters that pushed the Hang Seng Index above a chart level that had put a lid on gains for nearly two weeks.
The CSI300 Index of the top Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listings rose 0.5 per cent, while the Shanghai Composite Index climbed 1 per cent in the fourth-highest volume this month. Both closed at their highest since May 2012.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/money/stock-talk/article/1139390/hong-kong-shares-climb-21-month-high-china-back-may-peaks
Japan PM shrugs off global criticism over latest stimulus steps
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe waded into the growing global debate about currency wars for the first time on Wednesday, shrugging off criticism that Tokyo was trying to intentionally weaken the yen with its monetary and fiscal stimulus measures.
“The measures taken by the government and the BOJ are aimed at beating deflation and achieving sustainable economic growth,” Abe said, when asked by an opposition party leader in parliament about criticism from some overseas policymakers that the steps were attempts by Tokyo to directly weaken the yen.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1139293/japan-pm-shrugs-global-criticism-over-latest-stimulus-steps
RIM faces its day of reckoning with BlackBerry 10 launch
The innovative line of BlackBerry smartphones that Research In Motion will formally unveil on Wednesday has already succeeded on one crucial count - getting RIM back in the conversation.
The new BlackBerry 10 has created a buzz among technology watchers and financial analysts, thanks to nifty features that may set it apart in an overcrowded smartphone market. RIM stock has almost tripled over the past four months on hopes the devices can restore RIM to sustained prosperity.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1139276/rim-faces-its-day-reckoning-blackberry-10-launch
US judge okays BP plea, US$4b penalty
A US judge accepted an agreement by BP to plead guilty for its role in the Deepwater Horizon disaster and pay a record US$4 billion in criminal penalties for the worst offshore oil spill in US history.
The company said it pleaded guilty to 11 felony counts related to workers’ deaths, a felony related to obstruction of Congress and two misdemeanours. It faces five years’ probation and the imposition of two monitors who will oversee its safety and ethics for the next four years.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1139160/us-judge-okays-bp-plea-us4b-penalty
Amazon shares soar after strong profit
Amazon.com shares hit a record after it reported better-than-expected quarterly profit, fueled by the growth of higher-margin businesses during the fiercely competitive holiday quarter.
The world’s largest Internet retailer said that its cloud computing services, video content sales and its aggressive expansion in e-books helped increase profitability.
In addition, a growing network of warehouses or fulfilment centres closer to customers held down shipping costs as it vied with Wal-Mart Stores and other major retailers for consumer dollars over the holidays.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1139155/amazon-shares-soar-after-strong-profit
Chinese firm wins A123 despite US technology fears
China’s largest auto parts maker won US government approval to buy A123 Systems Inc, a maker of electric car batteries, despite warnings by some lawmakers that the deal would transfer sensitive technology developed with US government money.
The sale of the lithium-ion battery maker to a US unit of Wanxiang Group was approved by a US government committee on foreign investment, according to a statement from the Chinese company. The companies later said the deal had been completed.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1139153/chinese-firm-wins-a123-despite-us-technology-fears
China banks' roll over local government debt: report
China’s banks have rescheduled at least three quarters of loans made to the country’s local governments that were due to be repaid by the end of last year, according to Financial Times calculations from official data.
The paper said banks had rolled over an estimated 3 trillion yuan (US$482 billion), or even more, of 4 trillion yuan in loans and interest that had fallen due for repayment by the end of last year.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1139147/china-banks-roll-over-local-government-debt-report
Five Chinese banks may soon win asset management approval: report
China’s securities regulator may soon grant five mid-sized Chinese lenders permission to launch fund management companies, in the latest push by regulators to cultivate a slate of integrated, globally competitive Chinese financial institutions.
The Chinese Securities Regulatory Commission recently met with fund-management executives from the five banks to discuss the approval process and hear presentations about the firms’ plans, official media reported on Wednesday.
The banks are Industrial Bank, Bank of Beijing, Bank of Shanghai, Bank of Ningbo, and Bank of Nanjing.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1139141/five-chinese-banks-may-soon-win-asset-management-approval
Microsoft launches new Office for consumers
Microsoft has launched new Office software for home users, featuring constantly updated, online access to documents from all kinds of devices as the world’s largest software company attempts to tailor its most profitable product to a mobile generation.
The new Office suite of applications - including desktop staples Outlook email, Excel, Word and PowerPoint - is aimed at home users rather than businesses, and is designed to extend Microsoft’s domination of the workplace to the home office and beat back growing competition from Google Inc’s free online apps.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1139128/microsoft-launches-new-office-consumers
Reformer Xi Jinping expected to boost investor confidence
The incoming leadership's reformist bent should help restore investor confidence in private mainland companies after a string of accounting scandals, said Henry Cai, held by some as the godfather of the Chinese capital market.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1138846/reformer-xi-jinping-expected-boost-investor-confidence
Mainland profit surge masks weakening earnings outlook
Three weeks ago this column argued that the Hong Kong and mainland stock markets would continue to surge, buoyed by plentiful liquidity.
Since then both markets have performed admirably. Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng index has climbed another 2.4 per cent, bringing its gains since the beginning of last September to a handsome 21 per cent.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/article/1138921/mainland-profit-surge-masks-weakening-earnings-outlook
Market Open: Hang Seng seen higher on bullish China growth target
Investors may increase their holdings of infrastructure-related firms after an official newspaper said that many mainland provincial governments had set local economic growth targets for 2013 of more than 10 per cent.
The China Securities Journal reported Wednesday that China’s fixed asset investment (FAI) is expected to grow by 23.5 per cent from last year to reach more than 8 trillion yuan. That compares to a 20.6 annual FAI growth last year.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1139092/market-open-hang-seng-seen-higher-bullish-china-growth-target
Big field in running for WTO director general
Candidates from nine mainly developing nations face off this week for the job of reviving stalled global trade talks as the new head of the World Trade Organisation.
Six men and three women, many of them present or former government ministers, have thrown their hat into the ring to replace Frenchman Pascal Lamy as head of the WTO.
"It is very good for the organisation to have so many candidates with so much experience and knowledge of the WTO system," agency spokesman Keith Rockwell told the Swiss news agency ATS on Monday.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1138779/big-field-running-wto-director-general
Anglo American takes US$4b charge over Brazilian iron ore mine
Anglo American will take a US$4 billion write-down on its Minas Rio iron ore operation in Brazil after delays and cost overruns forced the company to increase expenditure on the project.
The company also said yesterday it expected capital expenditure for the project to increase to US$8.8 billion.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/commodities/article/1138933/anglo-american-takes-us4b-charge-over-brazilian-iron-ore-mine
Royal Bank of Scotland plans bonus cut to help cover Libor rigging fines
Royal Bank of Scotland, Britain's biggest publicly owned lender, may reduce the bonus pool at its investment bank by more than a third as it prepares to pay fines to US and British regulators for Libor manipulation, a person with knowledge of the plan said.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1138939/royal-bank-scotland-plans-bonus-cut-help-cover-libor
KWG bond issue taps market for US$300m
KWG Property is marketing US dollar bonds less than two weeks after scrapping an offering.
KWG, whose projects include the five-star Sheraton Huadu Resort in Guangzhou, was seeking to sell as much as US$300 million of seven-year notes yielding about 9.25 per cent, a person familiar with the deal said.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/money/markets-investing/article/1138940/kwg-bond-issue-taps-market-us300m
Sands China shares rise on clearance for 200 more gaming tables
Sands China shares rose 1.6 per cent yesterday after the casino operator said it had received government approval for 200 more gaming tables.
There was little change in the benchmark Hang Seng Index.
Some of the new gaming tables would be added before the Lunar New Year holiday, which starts on February 10, Sands China chief executive Edward Tracy said.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/money/markets-investing/article/1138941/sands-china-shares-rise-clearance-200-more-gaming
Big players bullish after Shanghai hits 8-month high
The mainland stock market, which closed at its highest level in eight months yesterday, has turned bullish after three years of lacklustre performance, analysts said.
However, retail investors, who tend to lag behind institutions in sniffing out investment opportunities, are still in a wait-and-see mode, hesitant to increase equity holdings amid fears of an imminent correction.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/money/markets-investing/article/1138928/big-players-bullish-after-shanghai-hits-8-month
Lenovo faces uphill climb to reach mobile phone summit
Lenovo, which saw its share price reach a 13-year high yesterday, is not expected to become one of the world's top-five mobile phone brands anytime soon, despite the company's aggressive expansion in its home market.
Market research firm Gartner had earlier forecast that Lenovo would unseat Samsung Electronics this year to become the mainland's No1 supplier of internet-ready smartphones.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1138926/lenovo-faces-uphill-climb-reach-mobile-phone-summit
Philips Electronics sells audio-video assets after posting loss for quarter
Philips Electronics will sell its audio and video business to Japan's Funai Electric for €150 million (HK$1.56 billion) to focus on the more profitable areas of home appliances, health care and lighting.
The sale marks Philips' exit from one of its traditional businesses. It has already hived off its troubled television business, setting up a joint venture with Hong Kong's TPV last year.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1138847/philips-electronics-sells-audio-video-assets-after-posting-loss
Arbitration hearing in Hong Kong in row over US$500m railway contract
A dispute over a US$500 million railway contract between the Philippine government and a large Chinese state-owned company will be heard at the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre - a move hailed as a vote of confidence in the city's judicial independence.
The row between North Luzon Railways (North Rail) and China National Machinery and Equipment Corporation (Sinomach) over a lucrative project near Manila has dragged on for years, adding tension to already strained Sino-Philippine ties.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1138893/arbitration-hearing-hong-kong-row-over-us500m-railway-contract
Migration reform could raise growth
The sluggish US economy could get a lift if President Barack Obama and a bipartisan group of senators succeed in what could be the biggest overhaul of the nation's immigration system since the 1980s.
Relaxed immigration rules could encourage entrepreneurship, increase demand for housing, raise tax revenues and help reduce the budget deficit, economists said.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1138936/migration-reform-could-raise-growth
'Scary' bug threat to network systems
Bugs in widely used networking technology expose tens of millions of personal computers, printers and storage drives to attack by hackers over the regular internet, researchers with a security software maker say.
The problem lies in computer routers and other networking equipment that use a commonly employed standard known as Universal Plug and Play, or UPnP. UPnP makes it easy for networks to identify and communicate with equipment, cutting the amount of work it takes to set up networks.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1138934/scary-bug-threat-network-systems
Hong Kong Financial Services Development Council gets Chicago backing
The beleaguered Financial Services Development Council yesterday found an unexpected ally - all the way from Chicago.
The 22-member council, a brainchild of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, was set up two weeks ago to promote the city's financial industry. It is headed by Executive Council member Laura Cha Shih May-lung.
Lawmakers have complained that the council is beyond the ambit of their scrutiny and that its functions overlap with those of other regulators and promotional bodies.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1138943/hong-kong-financial-services-development-council-gets
Chalco expects to post loss of 4.8b yuan for last year
While the pickup in the mainland's economy would see higher demand and product prices this year, analysts expect the firm to remain in the red, although the loss would be narrower.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1138938/chalco-expects-post-loss-48b-yuan-last-year
A matter of some interest at Standard Chartered
A reader has complained bitterly to us over what he feels are Standard Chartered Bank's opaque practices with regard to time deposits.
He recently opened an integrated currency account with the bank in the hope of preserving his savings in a 12-month time deposit. This he did online and put in US$35,000 for which he receives the princely yield of 0.1 per cent. He also wanted a yuan time deposit but this could only be done at a branch.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/article/1138838/matter-some-interest-standard-chartered
Rents rise as luxury brands return to West Berlin
West Berlin's Kurfuerstendamm is in fashion for the first time since Germany's reunification as luxury brands snub the east, pushing rents higher.
Apple may be the next company to appear on the 4km boulevard known as Ku'damm, in the capital's most expensive shopping district. The iPhone maker will open a store there, its first in the city, this year, a person with knowledge of the plan said.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/money/markets-investing/article/1138935/rents-rise-luxury-brands-return-west-berlin
Filling in the gaps on squatter's title
What is adverse possession?
Adverse possession allows a squatter to obtain a right to possess land by occupying it long enough under the Limitation Ordinance (Cap. 347) to "extinguish" the original owner's title.
Except for government land, no action to recover landed property is allowed after 12 years from the date upon which the right of action accrued. Time starts to run when the owner has been dispossessed of his land and the squatter has taken exclusive possession.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/money/markets-investing/article/1138780/filling-gaps-squatters-title
Credit Suisse looks to sublet ICC office space
Property agents have revealed that the bank started looking for tenants a few months ago to occupy more than 60,000 square feet, or three floors of vacant office space at the International Commerce Centre (ICC) in West Kowloon.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/article/1138851/credit-suisse-looks-sublet-icc-office-space
China bulls buy record yuan structured notes
Investors turning bullish on China are buying record amounts of structured notes tied to the yuan as the country recovers from a two-year economic slowdown.
Individual investors in the United States bought US$79.9 million of notes since last month that rise and fall in value based on swings in the offshore yuan.
The nine notes created by HSBC use the highest leverage for such securities to generate yields as much as five times more than the yuan's appreciation.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1138782/china-bulls-buy-record-yuan-structured-notes
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
China to allow yuan quotas for Taiwan investors
China will give investment quotas for Taiwanese seeking to put money into its financial markets under the Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (RQFII) programme.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1138610/china-allow-yuan-quotas-taiwan-investors
Goldman Sachs launches US$1b sale of ICBC stock
Goldman Sachs launched a sale of about US$1 billion (HK$7.76 billion ) worth of Hong Kong-traded shares in Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC).
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1138538/goldman-sachs-launches-us1b-sale-icbc-stock
China may fine-tune loan-to-deposit ratio rule
China’s bank watchdog may fine-tune loan-to-deposit ratio rules to improve lenders’ risk controls as interest rates are gradually liberalised, a local newspaper reported on Tuesday.
A China Business News report said the China Banking Regulatory Commission Chairman Shang Fulin told a recent internal meeting that extensive research would be carried out on current rules on loan-to-deposit ratios and the methodology would be enhanced.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1138560/china-may-fine-tune-loan-deposit-ratio-rule
PBOC guides yuan lower despite strong demand
China’s yuan slipped to a three-week low on Tuesday in the spot market after the central bank again confounded the market by setting a weaker midpoint, despite little movement in the dollar overnight.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1138550/pboc-guides-yuan-lower-despite-strong-demand
Market Open: Hong Kong may dip on share placements, earnings fears
The Hong Kong stock market faces mounting selling pressure, with investors cautious about adding new positions and some even starting to sell down key blue-chip stocks to cash in on accumulated profits after the index's 22 per cent rally since last September.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/money/stock-talk/article/1138388/market-open-hong-kong-may-dip-share-placements-earnings
Qianhai - a small zone with a big role
Qianhai, in Shenzhen, may be the smallest of the dozen experimental zones on the mainland - which include Nansha in Guangzhou and Hengqin in Zhuhai - but its role is arguably the most significant.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1138279/qianhai-small-zone-big-role
Cooling measures start to bite as homes market sees sharp sales drop
The number of new residential mortgage applications slumped 30 per cent last month from the previous month as the government's measures to cool the property market started to bite, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority said.
Buying interest from across the border dropped throughout Hong Kong, hit by the new stamp duty imposed on non-locals and companies who buy homes, with mainlanders accounting for just one in 15 transactions last month, down 40 per cent from November, data from the Centaline Property Agency showed.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/article/1138262/cooling-measures-start-bite-homes-market-sees-sharp-sales-drop
SFC signals HK$232m deficit for year as income misses target
The Securities and Futures Commission expects to remain in the red this year, with a total deficit of HK$435.16 million caused by lower fee income and rising staff costs, the second consecutive year the regulator will lose money.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1138264/sfc-signals-hk232m-deficit-year-income-misses-target
HKEx evening session worries lawmakers
The local bourse's plan to introduce six-hour evening sessions for futures trading in March has been criticised by lawmakers, while brokers appear divided.
In a special financial affairs panel meeting held yesterday, lawmakers and some brokers expressed concern over Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing's plan to launch a new six-hour session for three futures products from 5pm to 11pm from March.
The products will be the Hang Seng Index futures, H-share index futures and gold futures.
The extended hours are aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of the local market.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/money/markets-investing/article/1138263/hkex-evening-session-worries-lawmakers
Profit-taking likely as Hang Seng Index hits 21-month high
The risk of a short-term correction may be rising for the Hang Seng Index after it hit a 21-month high yesterday, as investors look to book short-term profits.
The rise has already prompted Goldman Sachs to sell shares in ICBC and would probably encourage others to book profits, strategists say.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/money/markets-investing/article/1138266/profit-taking-likely-hang-seng-index-hits-21-month
Beijing urged to take quick action on shadow banking
Mainland regulators must take quick action to stop the so-called shadow banking problem from snowballing, which has emerged as one of the top threats to the nation's financial stability this year, analysts warn.
Market participants have grown increasingly concerned in the past few months about shadow banking after a bank scandal in Shanghai caused public jitters.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1138188/beijing-urged-take-quick-action-shadow-banking
Free-trade Shanghai aims to create a 'mini-Hong Kong'
Shanghai has put its best foot forward in building the mainland's first free-trade zone, an ambitious project that demonstrates the city's increasing assertiveness in its bid to become a world-class metropolis.
The plan, aimed at eventually creating a "mini-Hong Kong" in the mainland's commercial capital, underlines the new city leaders' ambitions of transforming Shanghai into the envy of Asia amid China's rising economic might.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1138273/free-trade-shanghai-aims-create-mini-hong-kong
London beats Hong Kong in office leasing costs
Hong Kong lost its position as the world's most expensive place to lease an office to London's West End last year as tenants fled pricy Central for more affordable areas.
A study by property consultancy DTZ found annual grade A office occupancy costs in Hong Kong dropped 12 per cent year on year to US$22,190 per workstation in 2012, the second-most expensive in the world.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/article/1138208/london-beats-hong-kong-office-leasing-costs
Scrap metal giant CMR denies fraud allegation by US firm Glaucus
The company that claims to be the largest scrap metal recycling operator in China has denied allegations of fraud made by the American short-seller Glaucus Research Group.
China Metal Recycling (Holdings) (CMR) is the largest mainland scrap metal recycling company in China, based on its 2008 revenue, according to a survey by the China Association of Scrap Metal Utilisation.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/money/markets-investing/article/1138207/scrap-metal-giant-cmr-denies-fraud-allegation-us
Revealing Hong Kong identity numbers is not a privacy issue
Corporate governance advocate David Webb has come up with an interesting wheeze to persuade the government to drop its planned move to remove directors' addresses and ID numbers from the Company Registry. The ostensible reason for the government's move is to protect directors' privacy. But, as Webb and other opponents of the proposed change argue, the HKID isn't something private like a PIN number or a password that authenticates you. It is simply a more precise identifier than a name, since a number of different people can have the same name, but not the same ID number.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/article/1138198/revealing-hong-kong-identity-numbers-not-privacy-issue
Gucci owner targets luxury brands to cash in on Chinese consumers
The firm that owns the Gucci and Yves St Laurent fashion labels is targeting more big brands in the luxury market, to cash in on the demand for status symbol fashion items among Chinese consumers with rising incomes and a growing willingness to spend.
PPR, the French luxury and sportswear group headed by the billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault, which owns the sportswear brand Puma as well as Gucci and YSL, bought a large stake last month in Qeelin, the Hong Kong jeweller founded by local designer Dennis Chan and the French entrepreneur Guillaume Brochard in 2004.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1138261/gucci-owner-targets-luxury-brands-cash-chinese-consumers
Directors' privacy is a direct attack on the public interest
Yesterday's South China Morning Post carried a full page petition signed by 1,768 journalists protesting against the Hong Kong government's plans to restrict public access to information about company directors.
I signed the petition not so much because the government's proposal is a blatant attempt to limit press freedom - although it is that. I signed because in trying to conceal crucial details like the identity card numbers of company directors, the government is guilty of a gross betrayal of its public duty.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/article/1138201/directors-privacy-direct-attack-public-interest
To win tourists, Hong Kong needs a visionary government
The Lunar New Year is fast approaching. You may have friends or relatives from overseas visiting during the holiday, and it could be a headache figuring out what they should see and do, particularly if it is not their first time in Hong Kong.
A few weeks ago, my uncle and his family from Indonesia came for a five-day visit. Disneyland was the first choice for my cousin, as she came with her children. However, my uncle and aunt are not young and were looking for activities that were more relaxing.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1138186/win-tourists-hong-kong-needs-visionary-government
Time to stop bosses dipping their fingers into the MPF
The government has finally given a timetable for allowing employees to have complete control of their Mandatory Provident Fund investment. But the reform has still not gone far enough.
Bosses can still dip into the employer contribution section of a worker's account to make long-service or severance payments, an exploitation of the 2.4 million workers under the scheme.
Many people do not care about the MPF, for the simple reason that the scheme from the beginning was designed in a way that gave the bosses more say than the workers.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/article/1138260/time-stop-bosses-dipping-their-fingers-mpf
Make way, not war
China's foreign-exchange regulator urged Group of 20 nations to improve collaboration to avoid any so-called currency wars while signalling he is comfortable with the value of the yuan.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1138191/make-way-not-war
Gome Electrical warns of 2012 loss
Gome Electrical Appliances, the mainland's second-biggest home appliance retail chain, said yesterday that it would probably post a loss for last year under the weight of rising rents and its loss-making e-commerce business.
In a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange, Gome said the losses were "closely linked with the negative impact on the group's business brought about by the consumption overdrafts as well as poor consumer sentiment and confidence as a result of the China's macroeconomic growth slowdown and economic stimulus policies termination".
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1138282/gome-electrical-warns-2012-loss
Mainland corporate borrowing soars to service debt
Mainland companies are spending more than ever to service debt after their borrowing almost tripled over five years, prompting strategists to warn of rising default risk and a threat to economic growth.
Total short and long-term borrowing by 3,895 publicly traded non-financial companies rose to almost US$1.7 trillion in their latest filings, from US$604 billion at the end of 2007, data shows.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1138277/mainland-corporate-borrowing-soars-service-debt
Monday, January 28, 2013
Chinese firm plans to be first to migrate B- to A-shares
A Chinese company is preparing to move its US dollar-denominated B-shares to the mainstream A-share board, the beginning of a potential migration that could see individual foreign investors owning yuan-denominated shares in Chinese equities for the first time.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1137985/chinese-firm-plans-be-first-migrate-b-shares
Ex-chairman of firm linked to Caterpillar fraud 'dismayed'
The former chairman of a Chinese mining equipment firm bought by Caterpillar said on Monday he was dismayed by allegations of accounting misconduct at a subsidiary that prompted the US firm to take a US$580 million writedown.
Emory Williams Jr said Caterpillar had conducted extensive due diligence before its takeover of Hong Kong-listed ERA Mining Machinery last June, adding that he was seeking further details from the company, the world’s largest maker of tractors and excavators.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1137901/ex-chairman-firm-linked-caterpillar-fraud-dismayed
Japan eased safety standards ahead of Boeing 787 rollout
Japan’s government stepped in to give Boeing’s now-grounded 787 Dreamliner and its made-in-Japan technology a boost in 2008 by easing safety regulations, fast-tracking the rollout of the groundbreaking jet for Japan’s biggest airlines, according to records and participants in the process.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1137890/japan-eased-safety-standards-ahead-boeing-787-rollout
South Korea exports seen up sharply, but recovery still a way off
South Korea’s exports likely rebounded sharply in January, but the pick-up will be due to extra working days compared with a year earlier and won’t be enough to suggest that global demand is recovering in earnest, a Reuters survey showed.
Overseas shipments by the world’s seventh-largest exporter likely grew by 10.6 per cent from a year earlier, the median forecast from a Reuters survey of 17 analysts shows, following a 5.7 per cent fall in December and a 3.8 per cent rise in November.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1137885/south-korea-exports-seen-sharply-recovery-still-way
BaFin probes Deutsche Bank over Euribor
German regulator BaFin has launched a special probe against four lenders including Deutsche Bank as part of an investigation into possible manipulation of the Europe Interbank Offered Rate (Euribor), the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported on Monday.
A special probe is the most severe kind of investigation the regulator can launch against a bank.
The German regulator is also investigating Portigon, Sueddeutsche Zeitung said, without citing sources. Portigon is what remains following the breakup of the bank that used to be known as WestLB.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/1137883/bafin-probes-deutsche-bank-over-euribor
Bank of Korea renews QE warnings
The South Korean central bank’s policy board ramped up its warnings on Monday against a possible surge in capital inflows as a result of the ultra-loose monetary policy led by the advanced economies.
“An atmosphere of protectionism is spreading and South Korea needs to take a much more serious view about this,” Ha Sung-keun, a member of the Bank of Korea’s 7-member monetary policy committee, told reporters on behalf of the committee.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1137879/bank-korea-renews-qe-warnings
Thai factory output up 23.4pc year-on-year
Thai factory output in December fell in December from the previous month and grew less than forecast from a year earlier, suggesting global problems continue to hurt exports and drag down production.
On a year-on-year basis, industrial output rose 23.4 per cent in December from the low base a year earlier when severe flooding devastated industry. The increase was below the 32 per cent forecast by economists in a Reuters poll.
On a monthly basis, unadjusted output fell 6.31 per cent in December after a revised 8.25 per cent expansion in November.
via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/economy/article/1137877/thai-factory-output-234pc-year-year