Markets Archives - Page 734 of 782

“Reform” Lets SEC Keep Its Own Nasty Secrets Buried

Regular readers of our site know how dubious we have been about the “reform” aspect of the 2400-page behemoth passed recently by the US Congress.

And we found an item today – thank you Richard Martin 😉 – that only confirms our doubts about this “whatever” in particular, and President Obama in general.

Surprisingly enough, it came from Fox Business News – you’ll be able to tell from all the self-congratulation below, seemingly justified in this case –

Urbanization in China & India: A Potential Gold Mine

28 July 2010. By David Caploe PhD, Chief Political Economist, EconomyWatch.com

In the middle of the 1970s, Princeton economist W. Arthur Lewis – the first black man to win the Nobel Prize in Economics –

outlined the centrality of urbanization for developing countries in his classic, The Evolution of the International Order.

Terminal 3 @ Delhi Airport: GMR & Development of Indian Infrastructure

The following is a report prepared by two stock analysts who were evaluating the investment potential of GMR Infrastructure,

one of India’s fastest growing companies in general, and infrastructure groups in particular, specializing in airports / energy / highways / and urban infrastructure projects.

The analysts were looking at GMR’s work on Terminal 3 – aka T3 at Delhi Airport – a symbol of the so-called “Modern and Bold India,”

Overrated Volcker Now Sees Disaster of Past Silence/s

27 July 2010 By David Caploe PhD, Chief Political Economist, EconomyWatch.com

It’s a bit of a cliché that – once they retire – “power elite” personalities in the US suddenly change their publicly stated views on key issues.

The examples are too numerous to mention, but it is fascinating to see how people once strongly associated with certain policy positions

unexpectedly espouse in the later years the exact opposite of what they had supposedly believed in with force and fervor.

Lebron James’ “Decision” All About Renminbi – NBA Marketing in China

According to Magic Johnson, if LeBron James “wants to be a billionaire, or close to it, [he’s] gotta go to New York.”

Nike, however–the company that is LeBron’s top sponsor–believes that another destination is more vital for achieving this goal.

China.

In the run-up to James’ announcement he would join the Miami Heat to form – along with Dwayne Wade & Chris Bosh – a “super-team”

One Child Policy Creates Less Compliant Chinese Workers

We remain a bit shaken by the report we ran earlier this week about the seemingly parlous state of the Chinese financial system.

But in the interim, it seems factories there are running full-out, and there is an on-going struggle to find workers.

If Wang Jinyan, an unemployed factory worker with a middle school education, had a résumé, it might start out like this:

Stretched Indian Cell Phone System: Now Espionage Fears

As India prepares to adopt new import regulations designed to thwart spying and sabotage,

the country’s mobile phone operators say the costs of implementing the rules could squeeze their thin profits even further

and accelerate an impending wave of consolidation in the industry.

The proposed rules would require phone operators in India to have all foreign equipment they purchase inspected by third-party laboratories in the United States, Canada or Israel

Japan Accused of Literally Working Interns To Death

The Japanese government has been accused of running slave labour working conditions after 27 foreign interns died in one year following months of working more than 16 hours a day.

The majority of the victims were in their 20s or 30s and were among an estimated 200,000 trainees from developing countries that are working here under the Japanese International Training Corporation Organisation.

Sovereign Debt Controversy Now Erupts in US

22 July 2010.

They are supposed to help states and cities that are short of cash build roads, schools and bridges.

But Build America Bonds, part of President Obama’s economic stimulus plan, are also building something else: controversy.

The federal government pays 35 percent of the interest costs on the bonds, a huge potential saving.

States and cities have embraced these taxable bonds to borrow money at what they assume are favorable interest rates.

Rich Now Biggest Percentage Mortgage Defaulters in US

The housing bust that began among the working class in remote subdivisions

and quickly progressed to the suburban middle class

is now striking the upper class in privileged enclaves like Los Altos in Silicon Valley.

Whether it is their residence, a second home or a house bought as an investment,

the rich have stopped paying the mortgage at a rate that greatly exceeds the rest of the population.