Saturday, November 22, 2008

Obama offers massive job-creation plan

President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday offered an outline of his economic recovery plan and jobs were the top priority.

American workers will rebuild the nation's roads and bridges, modernize its schools and create more sources of alternative energy, creating 2.5 million jobs by 2011, Obama said in the weekly Democratic address, posted on his Web site.

"These aren't just steps to pull ourselves out of this immediate crisis," he said. "These are the long-term investments in our economic future that have been ignored for far too long."

Details of the plan are still being worked out by his economic team, Obama said, but he hopes to implement the plan shortly after taking office January 20.

He referred to figures out this week showing that new home purchases in October were the lowest in 50 years, and that 540,000 new unemployment claims had been filed -- the highest in 18 years.

"We must do more to put people back to work and get our economy moving again," he said. More than a million jobs have been lost this year, he said, and "if we don't act swiftly and boldly, most experts now believe that we could lose millions of jobs next year."

The plan will be aimed at jump-starting job creation, Obama said, and laying the foundation for a stronger economy.

To read on...click on the link below

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/22/obama.economy/

Grim economic situation, says Hu Jintao

Chinese President Hu Jintao has warned the outlook for the world economy was not looking good, but that continued strong growth in China could help serve as a global buffer.

"The situation is very grim," Hu told world business leaders gathered in the Peruvian capital ahead of an Asia-Pacific economic summit.

"The sound and steady growth of the (Asia-Pacific) economy is threatened by the grim world economic situation."

Hu stressed that China's main contribution to world efforts to address the global financial crisis was to maintain steady economic growth at home.

"The steady and relatively fast economic development in China is in itself a major contribution to upholding international financial stability and promoting world economic development," he said.

China's growth, which soared by more than 11 per cent last year, slowed to 9.0 per cent in the third quarter this year, dragged down by economic slowdowns in key export markets such as the United States, Europe and Japan.

China has put together a four trillion yuan (586 billion dollar) stimulus package to shore up the economy, which for years had shown no signs of letting up as the country turned into the world's manufacturing hub.

China has repeatedly said it must focus resources on maintaining domestic growth amid rising expectations overseas that its 1.9 trillion dollars in foreign exchange reserves could be put to use fighting the world financial
woes.

However, Hu vowed China would step up its activity on the international financial scene. China "will play a more active role in international economic cooperation," he said, without offering details.

Source; Agencies

General Motors will idle plants; Awaiting U.S. aid decision

General Motors Corp., under pressure after Congress delayed action on automaker aid, is idling four plants for an additional week, extending the shutdown of an engineering center and returning some corporate jets.

The closure of a truck factory in Oshawa, Ontario, is also being moved up by two months to May 14, Tony Sapienza, a spokesman for Detroit-based GM, said yesterday. The plants that will have the extra shutdown week in January are in Michigan, Ohio, Kansas and Missouri.

GM, which has said it may run short of operating cash by the end of this year, acted a day after Democratic leaders in Congress put off deciding on loans to automakers until next month. Congressional leaders want GM, Ford and Chrysler LLC to make a case for the help.

``At this point, GM is not thinking about 2015, they are thinking about 2009,'' said Mike Robinet, an analyst at CSM Worldwide Inc. in Northville, Michigan. ``Ninety percent of their decisions are focused on what they need do to bolster revenue and save cash.''

To read on ...click on the link below:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a0ZU61nc9TH0&refer=home

Mike Duke new Wal-Mart Chief

Wal-Mart made the announcement that Mike Duke, the head of its international division, will replace H. Lee Scott Jr. as chief executive of the world's largest retailer next year as its foreign business continues to grow rapidly in scale and importance.

Duke has led Wal-Mart's foreign operations since September 2005 and oversees operations in more than a dozen countries and global procurement, crucial experience as the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer that began as a five-and-dime looks overseas to fuel its growth. Duke is also expected to continue Scott's initiative to transform Wal-Mart into a more sustainable business, and he helped lead a meeting last month with 1,000 vendors in China to announce new sourcing standards.

To read on ...click on the link below:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/21/AR2008112101060.html?hpid=moreheadlines

Friday, November 21, 2008

Financial crisis hits Russia hard

Russia had convinced itself -- and the outside world -- that its huge oil wealth and vast foreign exchange reserves made it much less vulnerable than others to the global financial crisis.

But after weeks of virtual silence by state media about the effects the crisis has had on Russia, President Dmitry Medvedev has suddenly acknowledged the extent of the damage.

"In all likelihood, the crisis is going to spread. Here we have to face reality," he said.

Top bankers and businessmen say Medvedev's words amounted to an official acknowledgement of what they have sensed in recent weeks -- a sudden, dramatic slowdown of the economy as credit dried up, sales slumped and factories laid off staff.

"We had thought that Russia would be far less badly hurt by the crisis than other major economies," said one leading Russian banker, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Now it is clear that Russia will be much worse affected by the crisis than other major economies and will be affected for much longer."

The government is still officially predicting growth of 6.7 percent next year but the World Bank this week halved its growth forecast for Russia to 3 percent and many businessmen and bankers say privately growth will be at best zero.

Underlining the fresh sense of urgency felt in the government, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday announced a $20-billion package of tax cuts and extra spending to help pensioners, companies and the unemployed. This was on top of $200 billion of financial aid already pledged by the Kremlin.

To read more click on the link below
http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUSTRE4AK4L620081121?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0

Citigroup looks at sale of parts or merger

Citigroup Inc lost more than one-quarter of its market value on growing worries over whether it has enough capital to withstand billions of dollars of potential losses and despite new support from its largest individual investor.

The second-largest U.S. bank by assets is looking at options now, including a sale of parts of the company or a merger with another firm, after its stock fell 50 percent this week, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

Discussions so far have been internal, and some options --such as entering into a merger where other executives end up running the company -- are unpalatable to managers at Citigroup, the person said. The bank's board of directors is set to meet on Friday, and Morgan Stanley is not considering a possible bid, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Citigroup did not comment on the report, repeating that it has a "very strong capital and liquidity position" and is focused on a strategy that will generate benefits "over time." Morgan Stanley did not immediately return a call for comment.

Earlier Thursday, Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said he plans to increase his stake in Citigroup to 5 percent from less than 4 percent, calling its shares "dramatically undervalued."

Alwaleed expressed "full and complete support" for management, including Pandit, who said this week the bank will slash 52,000 jobs and 20 percent of expenses.

Investors were unimpressed, and drove the bank's shares below $5, a level not seen since 1994. The market value of Citigroup has fallen $48.7 billion this month alone.

Citigroup is not seeking any government financial aid, and is not seeing any unusual business activity, a person close to the bank said.

But government aid may have to be part of any deal for Citigroup, investors said. Raising capital, whether through a share sale or selling businesses, would be difficult in the current environment.

Citigroup "will get bailed out, and that's another unfortunate strain on the U.S. government," said Saj Karim, an investment adviser at Cannacord Capital in Waterloo, Ontario.

The government may look to augment the $25 billion it injected last month from a $700 billion industry rescue package. The bank has raised another $50 billion since the middle of 2007.

Analysts said the bank could face more than $20 billion in losses in 2009 on commercial real estate, credit cards and emerging markets, as the world economy sinks into recession.

"How much capital is Citi going to need?" said Keith Davis, a bank analyst at Farr, Miller & Washington in Washington, D.C. "I don't think anyone knows, and so the knee-jerk reaction is to sell first and ask questions later."

The bank has asked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to reinstate a ban on the short-selling of financial stocks, in an attempt to arrest their downward spiral, a person familiar with the matter said. A prior ban expired Oct 8.

Other banks' shares also tumbled on Thursday, with JPMorgan Chase & Co falling 17.9 percent and Bank of America Corp closing down 13.9 percent. Along with Citigroup, the banks are components of the Dow Jones industrial average, which shed 5.6 percent.

JPMorgan is eliminating about 3,000 investment banking jobs, or 10 percent of that unit, to cope with the deteriorating economy, people familiar with the matter said. Bank of New York Mellon Corp announced 1,800 job cuts.

And KeyCorp, a Midwest regional bank, reduced its common stock dividend for the second time in six months.

Citigroup's market value, which once topped $270 billion, fell to $25.7 billion on Thursday. The bank was overtaken in market value this week by U.S. Bancorp and Bank of New York Mellon, despite being more than four times larger by assets than those companies combined.

Five-year credit default swaps for Citigroup rose to 395 basis points, meaning it would cost $395,000 annually to protect $10 million of debt, according to Phoenix Partners Group. That's up from $357,000 of annual payments on Wednesday, according to Markit.

But those levels are not as high as they were for other banks just prior to failure. Combined with the low share price, markets seem to be implying that either Citigroup will raise capital without government help, or it will receive government help that does not hurt bondholders and derivatives trading partners.

Earlier this year, the government has rescued giant insurer American International Group Inc and mortgage giants Fannie Mae Freddie Mac.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson declined to comment on Citigroup.

Despite its troubles, Citigroup is one of three final bidders, along with JPMorgan and Capital One Financial Corp for Chevy Chase Bank, a Bethesda, Maryland, lender with $11.4 billion in deposits, people familiar with the matter said.

Pandit suffered a setback last month when Wells Fargo & Co agreed to buy Wachovia Corp, trumping Citigroup's bid to buy much of the Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank and add $418.8 billion of deposits.

'LONG-TERM WINNER'

Alwaleed said the bank is "taking all the necessary steps to position the company to withstand the challenges facing the banking industry and the global economy."

The Saudi billionaire, a nephew of Saudi King Abdullah, said he is "fully confident that Citigroup's universal banking model and global franchise will make it a long-term winner in the financial services industry."

Alwaleed also came to the bank's aid in 1991, when he invested $590 million in Citigroup predecessor Citicorp, which at the time needed cash as it struggled with Latin American loan losses and a collapse in U.S. real estate prices.

Citigroup has lost $20.3 billion in the last year and taken tens of billions of dollars in writedowns on mortgage and other toxic debt. Analysts expect it to lose money in the fourth quarter, and some don't see any profit in 2009.

Philips poised for major growth in India

Royal Philips Electronics, a global leader in Healthcare, Consumer Lifestyle and Lighting has outlined its focus on India as an emerging market. Keeping its commitment to delivering affordable healthcare solutions in emerging markets, Philips announced the acquisition of Meditronics, a leading manufacturer of General X-Ray systems targeting the economy segment in India.

Emerging Markets
Philips has stepped up its focus on emerging markets by creating an emerging markets structure which has become operational since spring this year. Focusing on emerging markets allows the company to accelerate growth in developing countries such as India, China, Latin America and Russia.

“Executing on our strategic decision to scale up our presence in emerging markets has been an important element of Philips’ transformation into a focused, less-cyclical company in recent years,” said Gerard Kleisterlee, President and Chief Executive Officer, Royal Philips Electronics. “We are committed to continue this course of action by increasingly redirecting resources to help fuel growth in emerging markets, and build out our industrial footprint in this cost-effective and high-quality manufacturing environment - for Healthcare, but also for our Consumer Lifestyle and Lighting sectors.”

Thirty percent of Philips’ sales in FY 2007 were from emerging markets, also representing a 10% sales growth over FY 2006. This geographical spread contributes to the resilience of Philips’ portfolio.

Philips has said that it is redirecting Euro 250 million of innovation spend from mature to emerging market to drive growth and (original) product & market development, and that it is also redirecting Euro 250 million to emerging markets to align marketing spend with innovation to ‘embed’ its product & solution simplicity message with customers; increase the dialogue with stakeholders to allow them to experience the brand.

Healthcare
Philips is committed to delivering affordable healthcare solutions in emerging markets. And the acquisition of Meditronics is its second in recent months of a healthcare equipment maker in India specialized in manufacturing products for the economy segment - one of the fastest growing market segments in the global healthcare equipment market.

Said Murali Sivaraman, CEO, Philips Electronics India Limited, “Meditronics’ high-quality and clinically proven economy segment product portfolio complements Philips’ existing high-end General X-Ray range and further strengthens Philips’ leading position in India’s high-growth imaging and monitoring equipment market. This also allows us to gain access to local manufacturing platforms at emerging markets cost levels.”

Analysts estimate that the General X-Ray segment of the Indian market will show annual growth rates of 10% or higher. This acquisition gives Philips access to strong sales and distribution channel for the economy segment. Meditronics has dealer network of 25 dealers with large geographical coverage, focused on mid/low end X-Ray business.Lighting
Philips in India is now a key production, research and development (R&D) hub for the company’s global lighting operations.

Philips has recently set up a global research and development centre for lighting electronics at Noida, India. It is its third such unit in the world. The facility will develop advanced lighting solutions, will be scaled up and linked to the global development centre in Shanghai. The centre will cater not only to the specific needs of the Indian market but also the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and North America. The centre currently employs 35 engineers and the headcount will increase with the unit taking up more work.

Philips aims to lead the Indian industry in Green initiatives and create awareness about Energy Efficient Lighting solutions. Solid State Lighting is the next wave of energy efficient solutions and Philips became the first company to introduce LEDs for the home segment last year. The company now plans to introduce the Consumer Luminaire range in India in the next few months.

Consumer Lifestyle
In India, Philips drives innovation by actively combining its global expertise with local consumer insights to deliver offerings designed for Indian audiences. After the successful launches of the Intelligent Food Processor (hands-free mixer grinder) and the Intelligent Water Purifier last year, Philips introduced Rip-all AZ1856 Sound machine in India early this year. Philips now plans to introduce in India some of its innovative global offerings from the Consumer Lifestyle stable such as Aurea TV, Ambisound and high end beauty and personal care range.

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