HONG KONG | By Reuters | The world’s most valuable jewellery retailer Chow Tai Fook, which counts Cartier and Tiffany & Co as competitors, is on a quest to conquer the hearts of China’s future big spenders. Its weapons of choice: Hello Kitty and Winnie the Pooh.
AMSTERDAM | By Paul Scheffer at NRC Handelsblad via Presseurop | If the EU is to continue to exist, then its representatives will have to be clear about their ultimate objective. This should not be a federation of states, but a Union which sets its sights on further horizons, defends its diversity, puts an end to its expansion and establishes a legal basis for further integration, says academic Paul Scheffer writes. Excerpts.
Via Credit Suisse | Following the global financial crisis, major central banks have taken unprecedented policy actions in a bid to support the global economy and address short-term financial risks. In the following video, thought leaders from the Credit Suisse Research Institute discuss the use of these actions to attack crises, as well as the challenges associated with exiting these unconventional instruments in the coming years. [NOTE: The views expressed in this video are the interviewees’ own and do not necessarily reflect The Corner’s editorial policy].
MADRID | By Luis Arroyo | The West is losing ground in the international arena: the United States’ credibility is damaged and Europe is so self-centered, focused in its own business that it has underestimated Russia. Now Ukraine is in the middle of a boiling debate between pro-Russians and pro-westerns and Putin won’t let the EU snatch the former soviet country.
SAO PAOLO | By Marcus Nunes | A hint of ‘Schadenfreud’; that´s what I gathered from this piece by James Glynn: “Australia’s “Miracle Economy” Running out of Tricks.”
MADRID | By Francisco López | The U.S. latest unemployment data, as well as the gold price collapse and the movements of the sovereign suggest the beginning of the gradual withdrawal of the assets purchase by the Federal Reserve may be imminent. However, stock markets are not just quite sure the Fed will decide to start tapering at its last meeting of the year, since some macro indicators show the recovery of the first economy of the planet is not strong enough.
NEW YORK | By Ana Fuentes | What if a video game only contained audio? Blind Side is the first ever to set players in a fully 3D ambiance without graphics. Inspired by co-creator Aaron Rasmussen’s temporary blindness after an accident in chemistry class, the start up is the adventure of two young game lovers who got their funding via Kickstarter. Their potential market is huge: 33 million gamers in the U.S. have some kind of disability, according to the Able Gamers Foundation.
LONDON | By Barclays analysts | A new equilibrium has emerged where the Fed has managed to anchor front end rates via rates guidance while preparing markets for tapering. This environment remains risk friendly, but its stability is vulnerable to the speed of the recovery.
NEW YORK | By Ana Fuentes | The planned strike of fast-food workers in 100 cities on Thursday has stirred the debate about the minimum wage, which is among the lowest in all OECD countries. America is a much richer country today than 30 years ago, although the inflation-adjusted wages of nonsupervisory workers in retail trade have fallen almost 30 percent since the 70s. Underpaid jobs seem to be the new normal, many economists are warning.
LONDON | By Barclays analysts | Although there is a train of thought that the sharp acceleration in US crude oil supply growth will sooner or later result in a turning point for oil prices and a possible price collapse, our analysis suggests 2014 is too early for that.