A very British binge: The housing market is a huge problem in Britain. Blame the government, not the banks
May 24th 2014 | From the print edition
HAVING risen by 8% in the past year, British house prices are almost back to the double-digit pace that preceded the financial crisis. That parallel makes many anxious. Vince Cable, the business secretary, calls runaway house prices a "real, real, real worry". Sir Jon Cunliffe, the central banker responsible for Britain's financial stability, says housing is "too dangerous to ignore". David Cameron, the prime minister, describes the rampant market as the biggest risk to Britain's recovery.
Vancouver, the New Tech Hub
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-05-22/vancouver-welcomes-tech-companies-hampered-by-u-dot-s-dot-work-visa-caps
By Karen Weise May 22, 2014
In the heart of downtown Vancouver, construction workers are installing glass facades on two office towers. One will be an engineering hub for Microsoft (MSFT), the other for Amazon.com (AMZN). Facebook (FB), Salesforce.com (CRM), and a bunch of startups with less familiar names have also been setting up shop in the city. In addition to great views in a convenient time zone, Vancouver offers U.S. tech companies world-class talent, lower salaries, and few immigration headaches. Read more of this post
Companies and the Clouds They Keep; While Salesforce has a head start in the race to build a cloud platform, Amazon could emerge as the winner
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-05-22/cloud-platform-race-salesforce-leads-amazon-microsoft-google
Companies and the Clouds They Keep
By Peter Burrows May 22, 2014
After co-founding Salesforce.com (CRM) in 1999, Marc Benioff spent years preaching the gospel of its radical new business model, cloud computing. The days of the hard sell are long gone, Benioff says. Just this month, the Salesforce chief executive officer played host to News Corp. (NWSA) Chairman Rupert Murdoch and Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) CEO Doug McMillon, who'd traveled to Silicon Valley to hear how Salesforce could help them cut costs and increase sales. Read more of this post
China's War on English; To bolster Chinese language and culture, the government is demoting English in schools
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-05-22/china-moves-to-protect-its-language-from-english
China's War on English
By Dexter Roberts May 22, 2014
Chinese authorities are waging a war on American culture and the use of English. In April, China's media regulators yanked the popular U.S. television shows The Big Bang Theory, NCIS, and The Good Wife from Chinese streaming websites Sohu (SOHU) andYouku (YOKU). The official party newspaper, People's Daily, ran two editorials in April bemoaning the use of words borrowed from English when speaking Chinese. Then in mid-May came a flurry of reports in the state media confirming plans announced last fall to reduce the importance of English-language instruction and to expand courses on traditional culture in grade school and high school. Read more of this post
Due to a squabble between KB Financial Group and Kookmin Bank, the effectiveness of financial holding groups' corporate governance is being questioned nearly 15 years after the government adopted the system
Structure of bank groups is called into question
Political appointees are issue
Due to a squabble between KB Financial Group and Kookmin Bank, the effectiveness of financial holding groups' corporate governance is being questioned nearly 15 years after the government adopted the system. Read more of this post
China's largest steel trader, China Minmetals Corp opened its e-commerce platform to other dealers to help the sector handle overcapacity and a credit crunch
Steel traders in China look to the internet to solve woes
China's largest steel trader, China Minmetals Corp (CMC), on Tuesday opened its e-commerce platform to other dealers to help the sector handle overcapacity and a credit crunch. Read more of this post
50 Blogs Every Serious Trader Should Read
By Justin Kuepper May 22, 2014
Financial blogs can provide a great source of information for both new and veteran traders, whether they're providing general market commentary, educational content, or actionable trade ideas. Many of these blogs are maintained by some of the top investors, traders, and economists in the world, with insights that can help traders formulate ideas and enhance long-term returns. In this article, we'll take a look at the top 50 financial blogs that every trader should be following to learn and profit. Read more of this post
Thailand Coup: Politicians Banned From Leaving
The country's armed forces summon ousted political leaders as an international outcry grows over the military coup.
9:26am UK, Friday 23 May 2014
Thailand's army has banned 155 people, including politicians and activists, from leaving the country a day after seizing power in a bloodless coup. Read more of this post
Dick Smith – the entrepreneur who launched a crusade against the foreign ownership of Australian food processors in the late 1990s – says his company's "days are numbered".
Dick Smith says company's 'days are numbered' as local suppliers disappear
May 23, 2014 – 4:44PM
Jared Lynch
Dick Smith with a pallet load of his Australian grown sliced beetroot. Photo: Ben Rushton
Another iconic brand sold: Peters Ice Cream set to be sold to French company
The pool of Australian food producers is shrinking so fast that it is becoming difficult for patriotic players like Dick Smith to stay in business. Read more of this post
Indian e-retailers are so scared of Amazon that they're all joining forces
By Shruti Chakraborty May 22, 2014
The race to the bottom is on.
India's biggest players in e-commerce have seen a flurry of activity this week in their efforts to play defense to Amazon's overtures on their home turf. Amazon has been scaling up its India operations, such as next-day delivery and a slew of TV ads. Read more of this post
Hong Kong court rejects EY's case that China law protects mainland audit papers
HONG KONG (Reuters) – A Hong Kong court on Friday rejected auditor EY's contention that Chinese law prohibits the mainland partner of the firm previously known as Ernst & Young from passing on documents related to a former China client. Read more of this post
How to avoid cultural mistakes in Korea
Joel Lee
A post titled "20 Cultural Mistakes to Avoid in Korea" on culture andtravel website Seoulistic. com has generated much chatter for itssarcastic take on aspects of Korean cultural behavior that foreignersregard as odd. Read more of this post
A desire to love and be loved
Kim Song-rhei
It is said that every person has a desire tolove and to be loved in return. However, Ihave heard from a philosopher whoemphasized that those who desire to lovesomeone more than to be loved feel muchhappier. Read more of this post
The Korean financial watchdog to phase out financial holding companies amid a recent conflict between KB Financial Group and Kookmin Bank
FSC to phase out holding firms
By Chung Ah-young
The financial watchdog will strengthen restrictions on the authority offinancial holding companies amid a recent conflict between KB Financial Group and Kookmin Bank. Read more of this post
Hyundai heir focuses on emerging markets
Hyundai Motor Group Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun is apparently seeking to find new momentum in emerging markets in Asia and South America where demand for cars is growing fast. Read more of this post
Engineers seen as 'less intelligent', warns Royal Academy; Children are 'natural engineers', says Royal Academy of Engineering report, but warns these innate skills are not valued by education system
Engineers seen as 'less intelligent', warns Royal Academy
Children are 'natural engineers', says Royal Academy of Engineering report, but warns these innate skills are not valued by education system
By Alan Tovey, Jobs Editor
7:01AM BST 23 May 2014
Britain will never solve its skills crisis unless the education system is redesigned to stop it "extinguishing" engineering abilities in youngsters. Read more of this post
Beware Path Dependence: Being cognizant of the mental paths that constrain us is crucial if our individual thinking is to be rigorous
Beware Path Dependence
by Ted Cadsby | May 23, 2014
Being cognizant of the mental paths that constrain us is crucial if our individual thinking is to be rigorous
In workplace groups, cognitive diversity usually trumps IQ; but not unconditionally. Research by complexity scientist Scott Page demonstrates that a team of diverse thinkers tackling a problem will outperform the smartest individual in a group. The cognitive biases and limitations of even the smartest individual are usually no match for a group of minds correcting and building on one another. But this impressive benefit of team thinking is completely lost if its members are unwilling to challenge each other. Read more of this post
Here's Why Some Apple Employees Didn't Get Along With Steve Jobs; He was just passionate about making every Apple product the best it could be, and was confused when others working at the company didn't share his vision
Here's Why Some Apple Employees Didn't Get Along With Steve Jobs
LISA EADICICCO TECH MAY. 23, 2014, 12:32 AM
Mark Kawano, who worked as a senior designer at Apple for seven years before taking on the company's User Experience Evangelist role, debunked a few key design myths about Apple in a recent interview with Fast Company. Read more of this post
Indonesian Govt Urged to Stick to 'Asean Way' Despite Thai Military Coup
By Erwida Maulia & Dessy Sagita on 09:25 pm May 22, 2014
Foreign affairs experts said Indonesia should stay out of Thailand's domestic affairs despite the escalating situation in the country after that country's military's announcement on Thursday that it was taking power in a coup d'etat.
Singapore Braces for Worsening "Haze" as Indonesia Fails to Halt Slash-and-Burn Clearances
By Rujun Shen on 03:43 pm May 22, 2014
The Lion City is approaching its yearly "haze" season, when smoke from forest clearing in Indonesia chokes the air, with this year likely to be worse than 2013′s record pollution thanks to lack of action in Jakarta and an expected El Nino weather pattern.
This Simple Technique Can Supercharge Your Productivity
RICHARD FELONI STRATEGY MAY. 22, 2014, 11:58 PM
When he was still a college student in the late 1980s, Italian entrepreneur Francesco Cirillo developed a simple study habit that maximized his productivity and reduced a feeling of burnout. Read more of this post
Flipkart, India's largest ecommerce company, announced the acquisition of Myntra, a specialised fashion e-retailer
Flipkart buys Myntra in fashion drive
By Amy Kazmin in New Delhi and James Crabtree in Mumbai
Flipkart, India's largest ecommerce company, announced the acquisition of Myntra, a specialised fashion e-retailer, on Thursday, as it gears up to face intensifying competition in the country's rapidly growing internet retail market. Read more of this post
Filed under Macro Trends, TMT Trends
Panasonic is considering bringing some of its manufacturing back to Japan, in what would be a rare reversal of Japanese companies offshoring production to China and other Asian countries with lower production costs
Panasonic considers bringing production back to Japan
By Jennifer Thompson and Jonathan Soble in Tokyo
Panasonic is considering bringing some of its manufacturing back to Japan, in what would be a rare reversal of Japanese companies offshoring production to China and other Asian countries with lower production costs. Read more of this post
Weibo and Renren highlight troubles facing Chinese web groups
By Sarah Mishkin in San Francisco
Two of China's biggest tech companies have unveiled weak numbers in an echo of some of the earnings disappointments coming from their US peers. Read more of this post
Japan's trading houses shift focus; The recent tumble in the price of iron ore, a vital steelmaking ingredient, has probably been worrying for Japan's leading trading houses, the sogo shosha
Japan's trading houses shift focus
By Emiko Terazono
Resources will take a smaller piece of the new investment pie
The recent tumble in the price of iron ore, a vital steelmaking ingredient, has probably been worrying for Japan's leading trading houses, the sogo shosha. Read more of this post
Dollar Tree buoyed by consumer polarisation
By Eric Platt in New York
A polarisation of the American economy, which has been supportive of top earners but pushed many middle-income earners into more cautious buying habits, was on display as retailers catering to both to high- and low-income spenders outperformed those focused on the middle. Read more of this post
The macroprudential model back on the financial catwalk; Policy ideas that seem terribly old fashioned to one generation have a habit of being reborn
The macroprudential model back on the financial catwalk
By Gillian Tett
Policy ideas that seem terribly old fashioned to one generation have a habit of being reborn Read more of this post
British companies that bribe foreign officials to win contracts, commit fraud, or launder money, face fines of up to 400 per cent of their illicit profits, under new penalty guidelines
Corrupt companies face fines of 400% of illicit profits
By Caroline Binham, Legal Correspondent
British companies that bribe foreign officials to win contracts, commit fraud, or launder money, face fines of up to 400 per cent of their illicit profits, under new penalty guidelines. Read more of this post
The perils of Asia's nationalist power game; Modi completes a quartet of combative leaders in the most powerful nations of the region
The perils of Asia's nationalist power game
By Philip Stephens
Modi completes a quartet of combative leaders in the most powerful nations of the region
India has a new prime minister; and each of Asia's four most powerful nations is now led by a combative nationalist. The multilateralist assumptions of the postwar order are giving way to a return to great power competition. Nationalism is on the march, and nowhere more so than in the rising east. Read more of this post
Scientists Warn of Melting Ice Sheet, Rising Sea Level; Melt Happening Faster Than Expected; Researchers Point to Broad Climate Change as Cause
Scientists Warn of Melting Ice Sheet, Rising Sea Level
Melt Happening Faster Than Expected; Researchers Point to Broad Climate Change as Cause
ROBERT LEE HOTZ
Updated May 12, 2014 7:34 p.m. ET
Six rapidly melting glaciers in Antarctica are destabilizing one of the world's largest ice sheets, a process which, if unchecked, could release enough water to raise sea levels world-wide significantly in centuries to come, two groups of scientists said Monday. Read more of this post