Precious Metals Prices Futures 17.09.13 11.16 p.m. Eastern Time

Gold Price Futures    3 months   US$  1,297.89

Silver Price Futures   3 months   US$      21.44

iPhone 5s stock in China sells out almost instantly

Unlike the rest of the world, China and Hong Kong can reserve the iPhone5 starting today . However, just minutes after the phone became available, most models and colors sold out across the country.

At the time of writing, only the 16 GB ‘space grey’ SKU’s remain available for reservation. All other models have sold out and are “currently unavailable” according to the online store. Sina reported on the phenomenon, noting that the gold model, in particular, was in high demand…

The rate at which the 5s sold out in China does not bode well for the rest of the world, as it suggest that overall supply in general of the 5s is low. Therefore, customers in the rest of world wanting to grab an iPhone on launch day will need to set the alarmsto have any chance of ordering an iPhone online on September 20th. The alternative is queuing for the iPhone, but with such short supply, it will still be necessary to get in line many hours before 8am, when the iPhone officially goes on sale in Apple Stores and other retail outlets.

Meanwhile, stocks of 5c have generally held up well, lasting throughout launch weekend with supplies only now are drying up. Interestingly, it seems that some preorders for the 5c have already been honoured as the first unboxing video of the device has appeared online.

Source: Nine to Five Mac

Carrier Sources Say iPhone 5s Inventory on Friday Will Be “Grotesquely” Low

Sources at multiple U.S. carriers said that the inventory of the new iPhone 5S is significantly less than expected.

“We will have grotesquely unavailable inventory,” was how one carrier source put it.

A source at a second carrier also complained of extremely disappointing shipments from Apple, but said that demand for the high-end iPhone may also be slightly less than initially thought, too. Apparently it is the colors of the iPhone 5c that seem to have captured more customer’s eye.

The iPhone 5s and 5c are both slated to go on sale Friday at AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless. Apple only took preorders for the iPhone 5c, and carriers said supply there appears to be significantly better.

China Adds U.S. Mortgage, Agency Bonds

According to an article published today in the Wall Street Journal,

"China, the biggest foreign buyer of U.S. debt, in July bought a record amount of U.S. government agency debt and mortgage-backed securities, even as it sold Treasurys, according to data from the Treasury Department.

China's purchases are the latest sign the country hasn't stepped away from funding the U.S. even as prices on Treasurys and mortgage debt fell sharply this summer, sending yields higher and diluting the value of investors' fixed-income holdings, said analysts. China was a net buyer of Treasury notes and bonds in May and June when many other investors cut back their holdings amid signs that the Federal Reserve was weighing reducing its bond purchases.

In July, China increased its holdings of high-grade securities sold by government-sponsored enterprises such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and securities backed by home mortgages guaranteed by the U.S. agencies, by $20.2 billion, according to the Treasury Department data on capital flows. and its China's overall holdings of Treasury debt actually rose by about $1.5 billion to near a record high of $1.277 trillion thanks to its purchases of shorter-term U.S. Treasury debt called bills, which mature in a year or less.Japan, the second-largest foreign owner of Treasury debt after China, boosted its overall holdings by a record $52 billion in July to $1.135 trillion".

Hawk PM Abe seeks debate over self-imposed ban on collective self-defense

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called Tuesday for the groundwork to be laid for a review of the government's current interpretation of the Constitution to enable Japan to exercise the right of collective self-defense.

Abe issued the call as a government panel of experts on security matters resumed discussions after a seven-month hiatus, as he aims to redefine the country's defense posture amid security challenges such as China's maritime assertiveness and North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

The panel, headed by Shunji Yanai, a former ambassador to the United States, is expected to consider which countries under armed attack Japan would defend and where the Self-Defense Forces could be deployed overseas for that purpose.

S. Korea opposes Japan's proposal for new World Heritage site

South Korea has told Japan it opposes the latter's move to have old industrial facilities where Koreans were pressed into slave labor during World War II entered on UNESCO's list of World Heritage cultural sites, a source well-versed in bilateral relations said Tuesday.

The source's remarks came after Japan's top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga earlier in the day said the Japanese government will seek to have the so-called "Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution" entered on UNESCO's list in 2015.

The more than 20 facilities, mostly located in Kyushu and neighboring Yamaguchi Prefecture in Honshu, include the Yawata Steel Works in Fukuoka and a shipyard in Nagasaki where scores of Koreans were forced to labor without pay during the 35-year period of Japanese colonial rule of Korea, which ended in 1945.

NewsOnJapan

Japan's Economy,Trade and Industry Minister hints corporate tax cuts

Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has hinted at a possible corporate tax cut if the government's considered incentives for capital investment are not enough to boost the economy.

The tax breaks and incentives for capital investment are considered one of the pillars of the Abe government's growth strategy.Motegi gave a speech to Japanese and foreign investors in Tokyo on Tuesday.
He expressed hope of boosting capital investment to more than 700 billion dollars in the next 3 years. That's the level prior to the collapse of US investment bank Lehman Brothers 5 years ago.

SOurce: NewsOnJapan

Japan negotiators leave for U.S. to attend TPP talks

A group of about 10 Japanese negotiators for Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks, led by chief negotiator Koji Tsuruoka, left Japan on Tuesday to attend a meeting of TPP top negotiators in Washington.

In the run-up to the summit meeting in October of the countries involved in the TPP talks, "we will work to achieve real results," Tsuruoka told reporters at Narita International Airport near Tokyo.At their meeting, to be held for four days from Wednesday, the chief negotiators will speed up talks on 21 areas of trade, with an eye to reaching a broad agreement at the TPP summit in Bali, Indonesia, on Oct. 8.

NewsOnJapan

Yahoo Japan unveils 3D printing technology

Internet firm Yahoo Japan has developed technology to produce solid plastic objects with 3D printers based on computer searches.

If the word "horse," for example, is spoken into the machine, it searches for a drawing of the animal on the Internet. In about 15 minutes, it produces a solid, three-dimensional horse-shaped object that fits in the palm of a hand.Yahoo Japan plans to install the equipment at a school in Tokyo for people with special needs.
The company wants to study how visually impaired children make Internet searches.
It plans to set up a website on objects about which children are particularly curious.
Only about 100 3D data models are available online.

NewsOnJapan

China's home prices continue to rise in August

New home prices continued to rise in most Chinese cities in August, according to official data released on Wednesday.

Of a statistical pool of 70 major Chinese cities, 66 saw month-on-month new home price rises, with the highest growth rate at 1.7 percent, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced.

In July, 62 cities recorded month-on-month increase in new home prices, with the highest rate at 2.2 percent.

U.S. and Chinese Think Tanks : China-U.S. Cooperation, Key to the Global Future

China and the United States can and must broaden cooperation and build a new type of major country relationship, according to a joint report released on Tuesday here by U.S. and Chinese think tanks.

"China-U.S. Cooperation: Key to the Global Future", a joint report developed by a China-U.S. working group organized by the Atlantic Council and China Institute of International Studies, focuses on long-term global trends and their implications for the China-U.S. relationship and global future.

The report found that the global future, which is "increasingly interconnected and extraordinarily turbulent", will face a sharply rising demand for food, water and energy, as well as a climate crisis, a growing global middle class and an unprecedented technological revolution.

"When China and the United States cooperate to meet looming challenges, both countries benefit. When they fail to cooperate and pursue narrow interests or win-lose or zero-sum outcomes, both countries lose," the report concluded following depiction of different scenarios and outcomes.

Among a series of recommendations for policymakers in both countries, the working group in particular called for the establishment of a U.S.-China joint "vision group" composed of senior nongovernment and former government leaders to develop recommendations for both nations to cooperate bilaterally and join other nations to tackle critical global challenges.

Tung Chee Hwa, founding chairman of China-U.S. Exchange Foundation which supported the report, noted that the two countries are stakeholders that share a lot of common concerns.

"It is important that the misunderstanding and mistrust be addressed, differences be managed and contained, and under no circumstances should they affect the overall U.S.-China relationship," he said.

Source: Xinhua

Chinese, Russian FMs discuss Syria crisis

 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, had a comprehensive and in-depth exchange of views on the Syria crisis via phone on Tuesday, said the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Wang said China welcomes the Russia-U.S. deal on Syria, hoping that the accord could be implemented as soon as possible.

The Chinese side holds the belief that a military approach cannot solve the conflict, Wang said, adding that China will continue to contribute to facilitating a political solution to the crisis and make due efforts.

Lavrov appreciated China's stand. Both sides agreed to keep close contacts and coordination on the issue.

Source: Xinhua

There is considerable room for improvement in investment between EU and China:European Union Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht

European Union Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht on Tuesday said while the EU-China investment relationship needed further strengthening, it "remains a fundamental source of mutual benefit."

"We need to work together to build an economic relationship that is more than the sum of its parts. A relationship that drives growth at home and contributes to growth in the world economy at large," he said.

"As two of largest players in that economy that is not only in our interest, it is our responsibility," De Gucht added.

He noted there was considerable room for improvement in investment between EU and China, citing that Europe's investment in China added up to less than roughly 2 percent -- 4 percent if Hong Kong is included -- of its total investments abroad.

"In comparison, 30 percent of our stocks are in the United States. China's investments in Europe, while growing, still account for less than 1 per cent of total foreign direct investment here. In comparison, 20 percent is American." De Gucht said.

Source: Xinhua

China's defense minister stresses national defense mobilization

Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan on Tuesday called for a national defense mobilization system that meets the needs of both emergency response and war preparation.

Chang made the remarks at a meeting on national defense mobilization at Lanzhou Military Command in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province.

The defense mobilization system would serve civilians in peaceful times and respond to emergencies and possible wars, said Chang, also a member of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and a general.

The country should make concrete moves towards a defense mobilization system so that it can be well prepared for possible conflicts in the future and new circumstances, he said.

Chinese premier meets World Bank Group president

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim here on Monday and pledged to deepen cooperation with the Washington-based agency, according to a press release issued by the Chinese government on Tuesday.

China is happy to see the World Bank play a bigger role in helping developing countries and reducing poverty, and is ready to work together with the agency to resolve problems regarding global development and to instil sustainable driving forces into the world economy.

Li also briefed Kim on China's reforms and development, stressing the significance of innovation, not only in technology, but also in ideas, systems and mechanisms, said the release.

For his part, Kim said the World Bank admires Chinese government's resolve in pushing reform and appreciates the government's measures taken in this regard.

The World Bank is willing to cooperate with China more closely to endorse the country's economic upgrade, Kim was quoted as saying.

Kim is visiting China from Sunday to Wednesday to discuss expanding collaboration on climate change, one of the most important challenges facing China and the world currently. 

Source: Xinhua

China to promote new-energy vehicles

Subsidies will be provided to help promote new-energy vehicles from 2013 to 2015, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said on Tuesday.

Manufacturers of pure electric automobiles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles will be eligible for the subsidies, a ministry notice said.

Government organizations, public institutions and public transportation will be key targets for the new policy, the notice said.

The subsidy standards will be rated following basic price differences between new-energy automobiles and their traditional counterparts, but will decrease each year due to scale of production and technological progress.

Central financial authorities will also reward pilot cities with subsidies in proportion to their investment in building charging equipment.

The key target regions will be mega-cities or city clusters, as they are under heavy pressure to save energy and cut emissions, for example the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster, the Yangtze River Delta area and the Pearl River Delta region.

Source: Xinhua

China urges Japan to learn from histroy, stick to peaceful path

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei on Tuesday urged Japan to learn from history and adhere to peaceful development path. Wednesday is the 82nd anniversary of the "September 18 Incident," which marks the beginning of Japan's invasion of China. Hong told a routine press briefing that the Japanese militarists' invasion of its Asian neighbors brought disaster to these countries and peoples. He urged the Japanese to learn from history and adhere to the path of peaceful development with a responsible spirit as well as to abide by its statements on the invasion issue. Japan should take concrete action to win the trust of the international community and neighboring countries, according to the spokesman. For historical reasons, Asian neighbors are extremely concerned about Japan's development in terms of politics and security, Hong said, urging Japan to respect the concerns of countries in the region. Japan should do more to contribute to regional peace and stability, stop creating or playing up tensions and making excuses for boosting military capacity or adjusting military policies, he added. China has the ability and determination to safeguard its territorial sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands, the spokesman stressed.

Hacker group in China linked to big cyber attacks: Symantec

 Researchers have discovered a group of highly sophisticated hackers operating for hire out of China, a U.S. computer security company said on Tuesday.
Symantec Corp. said the group, which it dubbed "Hidden Lynx," was among the most technically advanced of several dozen believed to be running cyber espionage operations out of China. Unlike a previous report by another company, Symantec did not accuse the Chinese government of involvement in the cyber attacks.
Symantec's 28-page report described Hidden Lynx as a "professional organization" staffed by between 50 and 100 people with a variety of skills needed to breach networks and steal information, including valuable corporate secrets.
In Operation Aurora, hackers attacked Google Inc, Adobe Systems Inc and dozens of other companies. Google in January 2010 disclosed the attacks, in which hackers tried to read Gmail communications of human rights activists and to access and change source code at targeted companies.

Source: Reuters

UK, banks fall as Government starts Lloyds sell-down

Banking stocks were among the worst performers in London on Tuesday with Lloyds sinking after the government began to sell-off its stake in the lender five years after its state bailout back in 2008.

The UK Financial Investments, the company that manages the government's investments in Lloyds and fellow state-backed lender RBS, placed a 6% stake in Lloyds this morning, selling shares to institutional investors at a 3.1% discount to yesterday's closing price.

The sale of 4.3bn shares at a price of 75p each, which raised around £3.2bn for the Treasury, reduced its shareholding from about 38.7% to approximately 32.7%. 

"The simple manner in which the shares were placed will no doubt be welcomed by investors," said analysts at Jefferies. 

"We can only hope that the rest of the government's stake in Lloyds and RBS is disposed of in such an effective manner."

Source: Livecharts

SEPTEMBER EUROZONE ZEW ECONOMIC EXPECTATIONS INCREASE 'CONSIDERABLY'

Economic expectations for the Eurozone increased 'considerably' in September, according to the ZEW indicator published on Tuesday.

Institutional investor sentiment measured a sharp increase in optimism that beat expectations in both Germany and the euro area.

With regard to the Eurozone's number one economy, the ZEW indicator of economic sentiment jumped 7.6 points in September to 49.6, beating the consensus estimate of 46. 

"The financial market experts hold the view that the German economy is still gaining momentum," ZEW President Clemens Fuest explained. 

"In particular, the experts' economic optimism has increased due to the improved economic outlook for the Eurozone - although recently released economic data for Germany have fallen short of expectations," Fuest added.

The assessment of the current economic situation for Germany also improved in September. The respective indicator increased by 12.3 points to stand at the 30.6 points-mark.

The ZEW also noted that economic expectations for the Eurozone "increased considerably in September". The respective indicator improved by 14.6 points to 58.6 points, beating the consensus forecast for a rise to just 47.2.

The indicator for the current economic situation in the euro area increased by 14.4 to a level of minus 59.7 points.

Source:LiveCharts

Downturn throughout the European Union in New car registrations

"Despite a downturn throughout the European Union in new car registrations, the UK managed to escape the drop and post solid growth in August, according to data published on Tuesday by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association. 

After a 5.0% increase in July, new passenger car registrations fell by 5.0% in August to 653,827 during the month.

The drop was led by an 18.3% drop in Spain, a 10.5% fall in France, a 6.6% decline in Italy and a 5.5% contraction in Germany. 

However, bucking the general trend the UK produced good news with a 10.9% expansion.

From January to August, most major markets faced a downturn ranging from -3.6% in Spain to -6.6% in Germany, -9.0% in Italy and -9.8% in France. Only the UK performed better in the first eight months of the year with a 10.44% increase on-the-year. 

Overall, new registrations for the region fell by 5.2% year-on-year. The total ended at 7,841,596 units, the lowest level ever recorded for the January to August period since the series began in 1990".

Source:LiveCharts

Chinese Internet Co. Tencent Holdings Market Value Tops US$ 100 billion

According to an article published today in the Wall Street Journal:

"Many people outside China may have never heard of Tencent Holdings  Ltd. but the Chinese Internet giant is now worth almost as much as Facebook Inc.

The market value of Hong Kong-listed Tencent, which operates the popular WeChat smartphone messaging app and various other online services in China, just topped US$100 billion this week, coming close to Facebook's market capitalization of about US$103.5 billion.

WeChat, ubiquitous among Chinese smartphone users, has 236 million active users, according to Tencent. Many analysts and investors expect Tencent to cash in on WeChat’s growing user base by offering various additional services such as gaming, e-commerce and advertising.

Among China’s major Internet companies, Tencent is in the best position to benefit from the Web’s migration to mobile devices from personal computers, said Jefferies analyst Cynthia Meng".

Avec son dernier smartphone, LG suit les traces de Samsung

"Fort de ses récents succès, LG Electronics s'apprête à lancer en grande pompe le G2, son dernier smartphone haut de gamme équipé du système Android deGoogle. Ce modèle, disponible depuis le 16 septembre en pré-commande, est la réponse directe du groupe sud-coréen au Galaxy S4, le produit phare de son compatriote Samsung.

Comme Samsung, il tente aussi de se démarquer de la concurrence en proposant des fonctionnalités maison, censéesenrichir l'expérience utilisateur. Avec ses formes incurvées et sa coque en plastique, le smartphone présente en outre des allures similaires au Galaxy S4.

Le lancement du G2 coïncide avec une période faste pour LG, devenu en début d'année le troisième acteur du marché des smartphones derrière Samsung etApple. Au deuxième trimestre, le groupe a écoulé 12,1 millions d'appareils, un chiffre record. C'est aussi deux fois plus que l'année précédente. Selon le cabinet IDC, sa part de marché s'élève désormais à 5,1 %, contre 3,7 % l'an passé

"La décision de LG de se focaliser davantage sur le segment haut de gamme est une clé importante de son succès"

La croissance de ses ventes ne repose ainsi pas sur des modèles à bas prix, comme c'est le cas pour les fabricants chinois Lenovo, ZTE et Huawei, qui se sont accaparé 13 % du marché mondial.L'activité mobile de LG est en outre rentable, là où HTC, Nokia ou encore Motorola accumulent les pertes.

"Nous pensons être en mesure d'atteindre une part de marché de 10 %", assure Ken Hong, son directeur de la communication. Le fabricant va aussi bientôt se lancer sur le segment des tablettes".

Source: Le Monde

US Real Earnings August

Real average hourly earnings for all employees rose 0.1 percent from July to August,     seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This increase   stems from a 0.2 percent increase in average hourly earnings being partially offset by a 0.1 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). 

Real average weekly earnings rose 0.4 percent over the month due to the increase in real average hourly earnings and a 0.3 percent increase in the average workweek.  

Real average hourly earnings rose 0.7 percent, seasonally adjusted, from August 2012 to  August 2013.
The increase in real average hourly earnings, combined with a 0.3 percent increase in the
average workweek, resulted in a 1.0 percent increase in real average weekly earnings over this period.

US CPI Increased 0.1% in August

  The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.1
 percent in August on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of
 Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all
 items index increased 1.5 percent before seasonal adjustment.

 Increases in the indexes for shelter and medical care contributed to
 the increase in the seasonally adjusted all items index; they also
 accounted for most of the 0.1 percent increase in the index for all
 items less food and energy. Within all items less food and energy, the
 indexes for personal care, tobacco, and apparel rose as well, while
 the indexes for airline fares, household furnishings and operations,
 and used cars and trucks declined.

 The food index rose slightly in August, with the fruits and vegetable
 index rising 1.2 percent and four of the six major grocery store group
 indexes increasing. The energy index declined 0.3 percent, due mostly
 to a sharp decline in the index for natural gas. The gasoline and
 electricity indexes also declined slightly, while the index for fuel
 oil rose.

 The all items index increased 1.5 percent over the last 12 months. The
 index for all items less food and energy has risen 1.8 percent over
 the last year; the 12-month change has remained in the range of 1.6
 percent to 2.3 percent since June of 2011. The food index rose 1.4
 percent over the last 12 months, a figure that has held steady since
 May. The energy index declined 0.1 percent over the last 12 months.