TV Oled e Ultra HD,confronto ravvicinato

Dopo alcuni anni caratterizzati dalla convergenza del mondo della rete con quello della tv, (vi dice niente la sigla smart tv?) la nascita di un nuovo formato, il cosiddetto Ultra Hd, sta riportando a focalizzare il mondo dei televisori sul loro compito principale: far vedere sempre meglio lo spettatore. 
La sigla Oled sta per Organic light emitting diode ovvero diodo organico a emissione di luce. Si tratta di una tecnologia che permette di realizzare schermi con la capacità di emettere luce propria. A differenza dei display a cristalli liquidi, gli schermi Oled non richiedono componenti aggiuntivi per essere illuminati (i display a cristalli liquidi vengono illuminati da una fonte di luce esterna lampade o led), ma producono luce propria; questo permette di realizzare display molto più sottili e addirittura pieghevoli e che richiedono minori quantità di energia per funzionare. Inoltre proprio il fatto che il pannello sia attivo garantisce una maggiore profondità del nero e quindi una più ampia scala cromatica. L’immagine finale è al momento quanto più vicino esista all’immagine cinematografica.

Ma il presente (e il futuro) della tv non è solo Oled. Quanto, e soprattutto, è costituito dalle tv Ultra Hd, vale a dire con una definizione 4 volte superiore al classico Full Hd. E qui all’Ifa sono entrati in gioco oltre ai due produttori coreani anche i giapponesi Panasonic e Sony. In particolare Panasonic ha presentato un nuovo modello il WT600 da 65 pollici che è il primo ad essere dotato di una connessione 50/60p hdmi 2.oltre che di una display port  1.2a che ne garantisce il funzionamento con i futuri dispositivi 4K-compatibili (lettori, set-top box e consolle di giochi). Per gli appassionati di giochi su pc sarà così più facile collegare il computer al WT600 proprio grazie alla display port. Sony ha invece ripresentato il già straordinario modello X9 fatto vedere qualche mese fa, con la felice sorpresa di prezzi ribassati (ora 5500 euro per il 65 pollici e 4000 per il 55) oltre ad un bellissimo videoproiettore Ultra Hd dal prezzo che sfiora i 10.000 euro. In particolare Sony faceva vedere con chiarezza perché anche in assenza di contenuti  Ultra Hd nativi acquistare un tv Ultra Hd può avere senso: l’upscaling dell’immagine Full Hd fatta da questo tipo di televisori la migliora di parecchio. 
Questo mese Sony metterà in vendita negli Usa una top box con precaricati 10 film in Ultra Hd e che attraverso un collegamento ad internet potrà consentire la visione in streaming di altri film in Ultra Hd. Se l’esperimento andrà bene lo replicheremo in altri Paesi. Quanto alle trasmissioni tv in Giappone la Nhk è già in fase sperimentale.

Bill to regulate fracking passes California state Assembly

A hotly contested bill that would impose California's first regulations on fracking and other oil production practices passed the state Assembly on Wednesday, despite opposition from environmentalists and oil companies.
Fracking is the practice of injecting water, sand and chemicals underground to crack rock formations and free up oil and natural gas. The technology makes it possible for oil companies to unlock California's vast Monterey Shale deposit, which is estimated to hold 15.4 billion barrels of recoverable oil.
Under the bill, passed by a vote of 47-17, companies would be required to obtain permits for fracking as well as acidizing, the use of hydrofluoric acid and other chemicals to dissolve shale rock.

The bill was opposed by environmental groups that wanted to see an outright ban on fracking in the state.

They were especially critical of amendments added to the bill late last week that they said would cut some existing requirements for environmental review.

The new language would also make it more difficult for the governor or regulators to deny a fracking permit until the state finalizes fracking regulations it is currently developing on a separate track. They are not expected to be completed until 2015.

Source: Reuters

Summer Davos:Innovation Imperative

The Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2013, also known as Summer Davos, opened Wednesday in northeast China's port city of Dalian.

This year's forum, themed "Meeting the Innovation Imperative," will feature interactive discussions on issues such as sustainable growth, energy security, trade and investment.

"Reform and innovation provide an inexhaustible driving force for a country's development," said Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony.

The premier said that China's modernization will not be accomplished without reform, nor will it be achieved without opening up.

He said that since the beginning of the year, China has been successful in coordinating efforts to seek steady growth, conduct structural readjustment and deepen reform, and this is mainly due to "innovation in macro-management."

He said China has kept macroeconomic policy stable, with consideration given to both immediate and long-term needs in the face of economic downturn.

China is implementing an innovation-driven development strategy at a faster pace, aggressively promoting technological innovation and integration of science and technology with the economy, and the country is building a social environment friendly to innovation and business start-ups, said Li.

Chinese Premier: China has entered a phase of medium and high rate growth

 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Wednesday that the country's economy has entered a phase of medium and high rate growth, striking an optimistic tone of keeping stable and sustainable development.

During his speech at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2013 in northeast China's Dalian, Li said a growth of around 7.5 percent is still considered high for any major economy in the world, although it is slower than the double-digit growth in the past.

China's economy had kept growing by nearly 10 percent annually in the past three decades until the global financial crisis snapped the red-hot speed four years ago.

Since then, the world's second largest economy has prioritized quality over speed in a bid to inject more sustainable and vigorous power to guarantee future growth.

The government targets an annual GDP growth of 7.5 percent for 2013.

"As the economy enters a phase of transformation, the slowdown of its prospective growth and moderation of the Chinese economy from a high speed to a medium to high speed are only natural." Li told the meeting.

"Now the new season of the Chinese economic miracle, one of better quality and higher efficiency, is unveiled," he noted.

China's future growth must be bolstered by resource conservation and environment protection, and driven by technological innovation and advance.

It has to be a growth with sufficient employment and growing household income, he added.

"Looking ahead, I see bright prospects for China's development," Li said.

The process of industrialization and urbanization is far from being completed in China, which promises a big room for regional development and huge market potential. Reform is bound to unleash fresh institutional vitality.

"We are well placed to sustain a healthy economic growth in the long run...And we will achieve the sustained and sound growth of the Chinese economy," he said.

Source: Xinhua

Japan grapples with the rise of hate groups

Since around 2010, Japan has begun to witness a phenomenon it had never seen in the post-World War II era: conservative activists and ordinary citizens have begun marching through the streets of the cities, denouncing China, Korea, the media, and the government officials they accuse of selling out the nation.

But these marchers are turning out to be the relative moderates. Since late 2012, a more radical fringe, called the Zaitokukai and carrying wartime Japanese Rising Sun flags, began appearing in predominantly Korean neighborhoods, such as Shin-Okubo in Tokyo, shouting out that the residents are parasites and cockroaches, and even declaring that they should be massacred. At the beginning of this year, grassroots anti-racism groups began to organize counter-demonstrations through the internet to oppose the Zaitokukai.

Source: NewsOnJapan

Japan says 'no dispute' exists on islands anniversary

Japan tightened security around disputed islands and restated its ownership of the chain, a year after its nationalisation of the islands triggered a bitter row with China.

Tensions remain high with Beijing, which sent several coastguard boats to patrol around the islands on Tuesday.Japan bought the islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, from their private owner a year ago.
China has described the purchase as invalid.
It says it has conducted 59 patrols near the islands since then - its vessels sailing in and out of what Japan says are its territorial waters.
On Wednesday, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga reiterated Japan's claim to the islands.

Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said surveillance had been increased in the islands' area but gave no details, the Associated Press news agency reported.

Coastguard official Yuma Miyako, meanwhile, told AFP that the agency was on "high alert" for the anniversary.

"We are preventing Chinese official ships from entering our territorial waters, with our ships sailing very close to the Chinese ships," the official said.

Japan maintained its position on its sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands

Japan maintained its position on its sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands on Wednesday, a year after Tokyo purchased some of the islets in the East China Sea which are also claimed by China.

The government said the islands are part of Japanese territory, but added that it is open to dialogue with China over a strategic partnership of mutual benefit.

"It has been evident (the islands) are Japan's territory. We will maintain absolutely the same position that no dispute (officially) exists" over the Senkakus, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters in Hokkaido.

Source: Kyodo

Precious Metals Prices 9.36 a.m. Eastern Time

Gold Price Futures      3 months    US$  1,361.74

Silver Prices Futures   3 months    US$      23.09

Panasonic:L’altissima risoluzione arriva anche sul tablet

L’Ultra Hd l’altissima risoluzione arriva anche sui tablet. La prima azienda a raggiungere l’obiettivo è stata Panasonic con il suo Toughpad 4K UT-MB5, primo tablet al mondo con display da 20 pollici e risoluzione Ultra Hd appunto.
Dotato  di funzionalità touchscreen grazie a Windows 8.1. Quello che sorprende in primo luogo è l’altissima risoluzione che permette di avere sia lo zoom che il ridimensionamento delle immagini immediatamente  e in maniera ultra definita. Abbiamo avuto modo ad esempio di sperimentare quanto questa funzionalità sia efficace sui disegni di un progetto, che si possono  ingrandire anche nei minimi particolari senza perdere in qualità dell’immagine.
Se poi lo utilizziamo per vedere video e foto in altissima risoluzione lo schermo è realmente senza paragoni per device di questa dimensione.
Il tablet inoltre è dotato di una Touch Pen elettronica , in grado di offrire un feeling simile a quello della scrittura su carta per realizzare schizzi a mano libera, prendere note o semplicemente scrivere a mano.
La penna utilizza segnali infrarossi per leggere distintamente ogni singolo pixel sullo schermo e lo trasmette al tablet via Bluetooth. La sua accuratezza deriva dalla capacità di riconoscere ogni singolo pixel sullo schermo del tablet, di registrare l’inclinazione della penna e di interpretare 2.048 livelli diversi di pressione, assicurando che disegno e scrittura a mano corrispondano perfettamente nel più piccolo dettaglio.
Il Toughpad 4K UT-MB5 offre anche tutte le interfacce necessarie, tra cui USB 3.0, slot per card SD, jack per cuffie e lettore di smart card opzionale. Grazie alla fotocamera frontale integrata da 1280×720 pixel, può anche essere utilizzato per videoconferenze.\
Al momento l’unica pecca del super tablet è che essendo stato pensato essenzialmente come un prodotto professionale anche il costo è adeguato: 4500 euro per la versione standard. 

ITALIAN ECONOMY CONTRACTS MORE THAN EXPECTED IN Q2

Italy has marked a second full year of recession after gross domestic product (GDP) for the second quarter declined by 2.1 per cent compared to a year earlier, according to data from the country's National Institute of Statistics (Istat).

This was worse than the initial prediction of a 2% year-on-year contraction. 

On a quarterly basis, the Italian economy shrunk by 0.3% compared to a 0.6% contraction in the first quarter and the earlier -0.2% estimate.

While the country's negative growth eased compared to the first quarter, the data highlighted the fact that the Eurozone is not in a broad-based recovery even though the region as a whole emerged from recession after 18 months of economic contraction.

Source: LiveCharts

iPhone-mania and its critics

The iPhone 5S and 5C was revealed at special launch event in Cupertino, California, on Tuesday night and includes a 'Touch ID' fingerprint sensor and a range of new colours. 
The iPhone 5S will run on an A7 chip, making it 20 times faster than its predecessor, the iPhone 5, and the world's first 64 bit mobile phone.
A new suite of motion-tracking sensors will be routed through another chip - the M7, which monitors the movement of users. Apple said this addition will promote better health and fitness among 5S owners.
The 5S will cost £709 for the top 64GB model, while the 32GB will be £629 and the 16GB device £549. The starting price is £20 higher than the iPhone 5, making it more expensive than competition from the likes of HTC, Samsung and Sony.
"The iPhone 5S,with its revolutionary inclusion of a fingerprint sensor in a mass-market phone, which could potentially remove the need for passwords and truly enhance the user experience, Apple could be on to a winner," according a review by The Guardian.

The iPhone 5C is a cheaper plastic version which comes in white, yellow, red, blue and green. 
It has a polycarbonate casing reinforced with a steel frame that also acts as an antenna, making it the most durable iPhone to date.
However, some critics believe the 5C is not worth the £469 for the 16GB version and £549 for the 32GB model as it is "simply a re-packaged iPhone5".
Yet contract prices will be lower - in the US they're set at $99 and $199 for 16GB and 32GB respectively. 

"Although the 5C is being touted as one of the 'new' iPhones it's really just a re-packaged handset, sporting the same innards and screen resolution as the iPhone 5," according to a critic on The Telegraph, who suggested that the previous model would be knocked down in price anyway once the new model is released.

Source: LiveCharts

Precious Metals Prices 10.09.13 11.41 Eastern Time

Gold Price Futures      3 months   US$  1,364.28

Silver Price Futures    3 months   US$      23.01

Record tourism to Japan helps drive demand for cash

An influx of tourists chasing bargains from a cheaper yen has given the Japanese economy a lift recently, as revised gross domestic product figures for the quarter ended June 30 confirmed Monday.

But the surge in tourism also had the unintended consequence of pushing up demand for Japanese banknotes, economists and travel agents say.The amount of banknotes in circulation in Japan has increased 1.7% since the beginning of this year to ¥84 trillion ($839 billion) at the end of June. That's the highest level ever, after adjustment for seasonal factors.
At least some of that appetite for cash has come from travelers, said David Swann, a currency expert at Travelex, the world's largest foreign-exchange services firm, which has seen increased demand for yen this year.

Source: NewsOnJapan

The biggest Olympic beneficiaries? Tokyo Bay developers

Tokyo Bay area property prices stand to benefit the most in the lead-up to the 2020 Olympic Games, adding to the recovery in the capital's real estate values after 20 years of declines.

About 90 percent of the competition venues will be located within 8 km of the Olympic Village in Harumi, an area of reclaimed land about 3.2 km southeast of central Tokyo, according to the Tokyo 2020 Bid Committee.

Apartment prices in the area may increase by as much as 20 percent, said Sanyu Appraisal Corp., a property appraisal company.

Tokyo's victory coincides with a recovery in the nation's property market, where residential prices have been declining since 1992, amid expectations that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's policies will end 15 years of deflation.

The capital is planning its biggest housing complex in 42 years to lodge athletes in Harumi. The ¥95.4 billion Olympic Village complex will occupy a 44-hectare parcel of land next to Tokyo Bay and will be financed by developers, Kenichi Kimura, who oversees the finances for the city's bid at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, said in an interview in July.

The Olympic Village complex, which is to be located in the middle of two main competition zones, will consist of luxury apartments surrounded by the bay with a view of Rainbow Bridge, which connects central Tokyo with the Odaiba area, the bid documents show.

Source:NewsOnJapan

Japan to begin study next month on joint-purchase plan for LNG

Japan, the world's largest importer of liquefied natural gas, will begin a study next month on how to link domestic and foreign buyers in purchasing groups to reduce energy costs.

The country will work on details to enable joint procurement of LNG by linking up buyers to increase their bargaining power against suppliers, Ryo Minami, a director for the oil and natural gas division at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said in an interview at a conference Tuesday in Tokyo.LNG in Japan costs four times as much as in the U.S., Toshimitsu Motegi, trade and industry minister, said at the conference. Bringing down LNG prices is a pressing issue for Japan, he said.
Source: NewsOnJapan

Syria vows to give up chemical weapons, Obama cautious about deal

Syria accepted a Russian  proposal on Tuesday to give up chemical weapons but U.S. President Barack Obama said it was too early to tell if the initiative would succeed and he vowed to keep military forces at the ready to strike if diplomacy fails.

In a televised address to Americans, Obama pledged to explore Russia's proposal for Syria to place its chemical weapons under international control, while expressing scepticism about the initiative.

He said he had asked the U.S. Congress to postpone a vote on authorizing military action while Washington and its allies try to pass a United Nations resolution requiring Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to give up the weapons in a verifiable way.

Government Bonds Quotes

Government Bonds Quotes
                                                                                          Price          Yield
                                                                                         Change          %                                                  

U.S. 5 Year			0/32	1.771
U.S. 10 Year			0/32	2.969
U.S. 30 Year			3/32	3.891
Germany 2 Year			0/32	0.276
Germany 10 Year			0/32	2.031
Italy 2 Year			0/32	2.124
Italy 10 Year			0/32	4.529
Japan 2 Year			0/32	0.116
Japan 10 Year			-3/32	0.747
Spain 2 Year			0/32	1.754
Spain 10 Year			0/32	4.521
U.K. 2 Year			0/32	0.492
U.K. 10 Year			0/32	2.843

  Source: WSJ

China's fiscal revenue rises 9.2 % in August

China's fiscal revenue climbed 9.2 percent year on year in August to 858.8 billion yuan (138.52 billion U.S. dollars), the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday.

The growth accelerated from an 8.8-percent increase registered in July.

Source: Xinhua

Singapore PM rules out a repeat of Asian Financial Crisis

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has ruled out the possibility of a repeat of the Asian financial crisis despite concerns over capital flight as the United States ends its expansionary monetary policy.

Speaking at a dialogue session with business leaders on late Tuesday, Lee said the Asian economies are much stronger than they were in the late 1990s, with safeguards put in place to deal with the impact of large capital flows, he said.

"On balance I would take a sanguine view," he said in reply to a question from moderator Robin Hu, chief executive of the South China Morning Post Group.

However, certain individual countries may have problems, he added.

"On balance I would say we are in a safe position," he said, quoted by local media Wednesday. "I don't see this being a new global crisis or regional crisis."

He cited the Chiang Mai Initiative, a regional currency swap arrangement to help the economies in the region to strengthen their balance sheets and support their currencies in times of need, as an example of the safeguards.

"For ASEAN, the lesson is there is a lot of benefit from economic integration, but we must not put the cart before the horse. Let's work together, but do it in a way that respects the differences in our countries and also recognizes that we are 10 different countries.

"We are ASEAN: it is a regional association, not a union, and that makes all the difference," he said.

Source: Xinhua

China slams Japanese official's remarks on Diaoyu Islands

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday expressed "grave concern" over Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga's remarks on the Diaoyu Islands, stressing that China will not tolerate actions that violate its territorial sovereignty.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a regular press briefing that China is firm in its resolution and determination on safeguarding the sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands.

Relations between the two countries soured following the Japanese government's unilateral move to "nationalize" part of the Diaoyu Islands in September 2012.

According to a Kyodo news agency report, the Japanese official said that Japan has the option of stationing civil servants on the uninhabited islands.

Hong urged the Japanese side to face up to history and reality, take concrete actions to correct its error and stop all provocative actions that undermine China's sovereignty so as to eliminate obstacles for improving bilateral relations.

A seven-ship fleet from the China Coast Guard patrolled the territorial waters surrounding the Diaoyu Islands on Tuesday morning, the State Oceanic Administration said. It marked the 59th Diaoyu Islands patrol by Chinese law-enforcement vessels since September 2012.

Hong said that it is normal official activity of Chinese official vessels to patrol the waters.

While resolutely safeguarding its sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands, China still seeks a peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue and consultation, the spokesman added.

Source: Xinhua

Global Built Asset Wealth Index 2013

The Global Built Asset Wealth Index demonstrates the
distribution of the world’s wealth in terms of the physical
assets which contribute to a nation’s productivity. The
index illustrates the accumulation of buildings, infrastructure
and machinery and equipment to unveil the economic
divergence between 30 countries that represent 82 per cent
of global GDP. It also highlights how these disparities are
predicted to evolve in future. Produced by EC Harris and
informed by research conducted by the Centre for Economics
and Business Research (Cebr).
Total built asset wealth within the 30 countries is estimated at US$193 trillion in 2012
- this is equivalent to almost three times the US$68 trillion GDP of the same countries in
2012. By 2022, built asset wealth is forecast to increase by 35 per cent in real terms to
reach US$261 trillion.

 In 2012, the USA was the wealthiest nation in terms of built assets, with total wealth
estimated at US$39.7 trillion. This is forecast to increase to US$47.2 trillion by 2022
- a rise of 19 per cent.

China is rapidly gaining on the USA and could become the owner of the world’s
biggest built wealth as early as 2014. For instance, by 2022 China is projected to have
accumulated US$75.7 trillion in built assets

In Europe, built asset growth is expected to be subdued at around 2.7 per cent over the
next decade. In some struggling Eurozone economies, investment is forecast to fall short
of asset depreciation, leading to a fall in the built asset stock.

Singapore has US$156,000 in built assets for every citizen, making Singaporeans the
wealthiest built asset citizens of all the 30 nations studied.

The UK’s built asset wealth of US$88,000 per person is 29 per cent lower than that of
other developed nations. This substantial gap suggests that the UK has significantly
underinvested in built assets over many years.

The fastest growth over the next decade is expected in the Middle East and Africa and
in Asian economies, as built assets are forecast to rise by 63 per cent in both regions.
This rapid expansion, combined with slower growth in the developed economies of
North America and Europe, will allow these regions to continue to close the built asset
wealth gap.

Source: EC Harris Built Asset Consultancy.

Les hôteliers dénoncent les sites de réservation en ligne

Le nombre d'étoiles ou la vue de la chambre ? La possibilité de déjeuner en terrasse ? Non, c'est bel est bien le prix qui prime pour les Français lorsqu'ils décident de choisir un hôtel. Et c'est aussi pour des motifs pécuniaires qu'ils sont de plus en plus nombreux à passer par des centrales de réservation sur Internet. Au grand dam des hôteliers-restaurateurs, qui dénoncent la pression exercée par les centrales de réservation en ligne.

Pour 72 % des Français, le prix est le premier critère de choix lorsqu'ils réservent une chambre d'hôtel. Loin devant les recommandations des proches (56 % des réponses), les avis de consommateurs (48 %), ou les recommandations de guides (42 %). C'est ce que montre un sondage auprès de 2000 personnes, réalisé par Promise Consulting.

Or, ces centrales de réservation sur Internet, canal de distribution devenu incontournable, sont accusées par les hôteliers et les restaurateurs d'exercer une forme de pression et de position dominante, à cause notamment du principe de "parité tarifaire"

L'Umih, le principal syndicat des hôteliers indépendants, a annoncé, le 2 juillet,avoir saisi l'Autorité de la concurrence contre Booking.com, Expedia et HRS, qui revendent des chambres en échange de commissions - parfois jusqu'à 25 % du prix.

Apple annonce deux nouveaux iPhone

Apple annonce deux nouveaux iPhone.La firme à  présenté l'iPhone 5S, la nouvelle mouture du smartphone traditionnel d'Apple. Comme l'indiquait la rumeur, le nouveau téléphone est disponible en trois couleurs : noir, argenté et doré. Ce nouveau téléphone est doté d'un microprocesseur nommé A7, présenté comme deux fois plus rapide que son prédecesseur équipant l'iPhone 5.

Apple a par ailleurs doté son nouvel iPhone d'une puce M7, permettant de capterles mouvements de l'utilisateur, l'idée étant d'optimiser le terminal pour toutes les applications de forme et santé. L'espérance de vie de la batterie a également été améliorée pour tenir dix heures en pleine utilisation. L'appareil photo a été amélioré et doté d'un nouveau type de flash.

Très attendue, la reconnaissance digitale pour verrouiller ou déverrouiller l'iPhone a par ailleurs été officialisée et porte le nom de Touch ID. Il suffira au propriétaire de l'iPhone d'apposer son doigt sur le bouton principal pour accéder à son téléphone.

L'iPhone 5C sera vendu, sans subvention, à partir de 699 euros. Il sera disponible le 20 septembre dans quelques pays européens, dont la France et la Grande-Bretagne, ainsi qu'aux Etats-Unis et au Japon. La suprise vient de la Chine, puisque c'est la première fois qu'un téléphone d'Apple y est disponible en même temps qu'aux Etats-Unis.

 Pendant son année de silence, les autresconstructeurs, dont Samsung, son plus grand concurrent, s'en sont donné à cœur joie. Ils ont multiplié les lancements de produits haut de gamme mais aussi plus abordables.

Car le marché des smartphones haut de gamme est aujourd'hui quasiment arrivé à maturité en Amérique du Nord et en Europe.

Désormais, la croissance se fera sur les pays émergents comme la Chine ou l'Inde. Pour y percer, Apple se devait d'annoncer un produit aussi attractif que ses iPhone, à un prix moins élevé. Le tout sans pour autant dévoyer l'image de luxe qui entoure la marque ni la rendre moins désirable.

C'est pour cela que le prix annoncé de l'iPhone 5C surprend.

 Avec un prix nettement supérieur, difficile de dire si le smartphone trouvera preneur dans les pays émergents.

Source: Le Monde

Alibaba's IPO

"As Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. gears up for its Initial Public Offering. All eyes are on where it might list. The company could go public either in Hong Kong or New York.

Whether the IPO will happen in Hong Kong largely depends on whether the city’s stock exchange and securities regulator accept the company’s request to let its “partners,”  which include its founder and senior management, have control over the makeup of directors on its board.

On Tuesday, Alibaba’s founder Jack Ma sent a letter to employees explaining what the partners are, and why he thinks it is important to let the partners have more power to determine the company’s future.                                         “We believe that only a group of people who are passionate about the company and are mission-driven will be able to protect the company from external pressure from competition and temptation to seek short-term gains,” Mr. Ma said in the letter. “Many companies quickly deteriorate into mediocre commercial entities after they have lost their founder culture.”

Alibaba, China’s largest e-commerce company that runs online marketplaces such as Taobao and Tmall, introduced the partnership model in 2010 and has elected 28 partners over the past three years''. 

Source: The Wall Street Journal

A Return to Emerging-Market Debt

In an article published in the Wall Street journal today,writing about Emerging Market debt it says:

"Russia and South Africa issued bonds in the biggest sale of emerging-market government debt this year, a sign that many investors remain interested in developing economies even after months of turmoil.

But both countries needed to pay significantly more to attract investors than they had even a few months ago, underscoring the more challenging environment borrowers face as the Federal Reserve prepares to tap its bond buying program.

Russia raised nearly $7 billion in dollars and euros, including 10-year bonds paying a yield of 5.112%, compared with the 4.5% coupon on a similar bond sold last year.

South Africa had to pay up as well on $2 billion in 12-year bonds, offering investors a 6.06% yield, compared with a 4.665% coupon it paid for similar debt in January 2012".

Source: WSJ