Spain ‘Relapse’ - Forex News

Spain’s Economy and Competition Minister Luis de Guindos said yesterday in Madrid the nation’s economy has suffered a “relapse” and will contract as the People’s Party takes over the nation’s finances from the Socialists. “The next two quarters aren’t going to be easy,” he said.

Germany’s government is revising its forecast for 1 percent economic growth in 2012 and will present a lower figure in mid- January, Focus magazine reported, without citing anyone.

The nation’s economy ministry denied the Focus report, saying no decision has been made. An analysis of potential growth is still ongoing, a spokeswoman said in an e-mailed statement, declining to be identified, citing ministry policy.

Italy is scheduled to sell 9 billion euros of 179-day bills and as much as 2.5 billion euros of zero-coupon 2013 securities tomorrow. It will auction debt due in 2014, 2018, 2021 and 2022 the following day.

marketing must emphasize on real time search

Marketers must look for real-time results from Twitter in their listings to take advantage in order to optimize benefits of online marketing and search engine optimization.

Ron Jones, Symetri Internet Marketing president and chief executive, recently remarked that with all of the eminent search engines including Twitter results in their listings, marketers must take advantage of the medium.

Online marketing professionals will likely need to amend their search engine optimisation (SEO) strategies to account for the rise of real-time search.

This is according to Symetri Internet Marketing president and chief executive Ron Jones, who says in a post for ClickZ that with all of the major search engines now including real-time results from Twitter in their listings, marketers should look out for opportunities to take advantage of this medium.

He advises businesses to keep an eye on hot topics that are relevant to their communications strategies, as well as to include target keywords in tweets and make the most of hashtags.

“Make sure you have content that supports real-time SEO,” Mr Jonesrecommends.

“Coordinate all of your content for your web pages, blogs, press releases, tweets and fan pages to work together.”

It is worth noting here that Google recently announced a number of new tools to let users of Twitter find new accounts besides entire archive of Tweets.

Oil firms as dollar pares gains

Dollar reverses after earlier gains on North Korea

Euro zone worries vs prospect of China soft landing

Coming up: US Dec NAHB housing market; 1500 GMT (Recasts, updates throughout, previously SINGAPORE)

By Zaida Espana

LONDON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Monday, reversing earlier losses as the dollar reversed direction after gains made earlier in the day on news of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

Ongoing concerns that the euro zone debt crisis will weaken demand kept a lid on prices, however.

Brent crude futures rose by 85 cents to $104.20 a barrel by 1022 GMT. Last week the front-month contract fell by 4.85 percent, its biggest percentage drop since the week to Nov. 18.

U.S. crude futures were 58 cents firmer at $94.11 a barrel. The benchmark lost 5.9 percent in the previous week.

"There was some ovenight pressure in tandem with the Asian stocks down on the death of Kim Jong-il, but I am not sure that the oil markets will maintain much of a North Korea risk," Petromatrix's Olivier Jakob said.

Sentiment softened after Fitch Ratings warned on Friday it might downgrade France and six other euro zone countries, saying a comprehensive solution to the region's debt crisis was beyond reach.

"The market is still concerned that what's going on in Europe will spread to China, the biggest centre for oil demand growth," said Gordon Kwan, head of energy research at Mirae Asset Management in Hong Kong.

Both benchmarks fell by almost a dollar earlier after investors drove up the greenback on news that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il had died, sparking immediate concerns over who is in control of the reclusive state and its nuclear programme.

A stronger greenback makes dollar-denominated assets such as oil more expensive when purchased in other currencies.

"In light of uncertainties about what would follow after his death and what implications it would have on Asia, the initial reaction is to seek a safe-haven in the dollar," said Takao Hattori, an analyst with Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities in Tokyo.

Later the dollar index turned slightly negative.

CHINA SUPPORTS

Oil received support from fresh signs that China would be able to steer its economy into a moderate slowdown.

"China has enough tools to provide more liquidity and avoid a hard landing, which will be bullish for oil prices," said Kwan.

China's housing inflation hit its lowest level this year in November, the latest sign that Beijing's efforts to fight rising prices are paying off as it steadily eases monetary policy to ensure a soft landing.

In addition, protests in a western oil region of Kazakhstan, together with political vacuum left by the United States in Iraq lent support to prices.

IRAN WATCH

Market participants will be watching events in Iran this week on the possibility that sanctions over Tehran's nuclear program will choke off supplies from the world's fifth-largest crude oil exporter.

Indian companies have begun talks with alternative suppliers to slowly replace Iranian oil, and South Korea has set new sanctions on Tehran, banning fresh investment in its oil and gas sectors and blacklisting additional Iranian firms and personnel.

The threat of a major supply disruption from OPEC's second-biggest producer has helped support oil prices in recent weeks. (Additional reporting by Francis Kan in Singapore, editing by Jane Baird)

Discounts May Hurt Retailers' Profits

Nov. 28 may fall only once on the calendar, but Cyber Monday came twice this year at J.C. Penney (JCP) and Sears Holdings (SHLD) —once on the day after Thanksgiving weekend and again a week later. Ditto for Black Friday at New York’s J&R Electronics. And Target (TGT) on Dec. 8 began its “Almost Last Minute Sale”—even though Christmas was weeks away. These revisions to the holiday calendar, and the discounting that accompanies each tweak, show just how determined retailers are to keep the attention of consumers this Christmas season.

Typically, stores let up on the deals after Thanksgiving weekend. Yet amid worries about lingering unemployment and the health of the economy, retailers this year are continuing to roll out discounts. That’s likely to hammer profit margins, especially for merchants facing higher labor and raw material costs. To see big promotions after Black Friday “is a bit alarming,” says Poonam Goyal, a Bloomberg Industries analyst. “Investors expected margins to be down due to inflation, but they didn’t expect margins to be down from more promotions.”

Merchants are now smack in the middle of the traditional spending lull between Black Friday weekend and the final days before Christmas. This year’s interval comes after retailers posted record Black Friday weekend sales of $52.4 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. Year-over-year sales in November increased 3.2 percent, beating forecasts.

To get those results, retailers began offering holiday promotions earlier than usual. Some Black Friday deals arrived a month before the actual day, and marketing ploys such as Black Friday Week and even Black November proved popular. “It’s a crazy time right now, with retailers willing to do anything,” says David L. Bassuk, head of the global retail practice at consultant AlixPartners. He says these nonstop promotions make December profits “highly questionable” since consumers usually flock to the items on sale. Best Buy (BBY), for example, on Dec. 13 said that earnings for its fiscal third quarter (ended Nov. 26) fell 29 percent due in part to Black Friday discounting. Its stock price then plunged 15 percent.

Industrywide, store traffic in the first week of December declined 5.9 percent from a year earlier, reported ShopperTrak. If more shoppers don’t return to stores, retailers may have to cut prices more than they’d planned, squeezing margins, says Goyal. That already began happening in the third quarter. Average gross margin, or share of sales left after deducting the cost of goods sold, for 43 retailers in the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index, fell to 32.2 percent from 33.1 percent a year ago, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Apparel chains may be especially vulnerable because the clothes they’re selling now were purchased earlier in the year when cotton prices were at record highs. Third-quarter gross margins declined more than three percentage points at Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF), Gap (GPS), Urban Outfitters (URBN), and Chico’s FAS (CHS). And unseasonably warm weather has forced retailers to mark down winter clothing—potentially another hit to margins, says Ken Stumphauzer, a retail analyst at Sterne Agee. That only increases the need for retailers to lure more shoppers. And nothing draws them in like discounts.

Sensex 16,000 again

Key benchmark indices regained strength in afternoon trade after seeing volatility in early afternoon trade as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) after a monetary policy review today, 16 December 2011, said that its future policy action will likely reverse the monetary-tightening cycle due to the risks to growth. Index heavyweight Reliance Industries (RIL) edged higher in volatile trade. Bharti Airtel, ITC, Infosys and ICICI Bank also moved higher. The barometer index, BSE Sensex, was currently above the psychological 16,000 level, having alternately moved above and below that mark during the day.

The Sensex was up 187.91 points or 1.19%, off close to 29 points from the day's high and up about 158 points from the day's low. The market breadth was positive. Except BSE Capital Goods index, all the other 12 sectoral indices on BSE were in green. Mid-cap and small-cap indices on BSE underperformed the Sensex.

The market opened on a firm note as Asian stocks rose. The Sensex trimmed gains after hitting fresh intraday high in morning trade. The barometer index, BSE Sensex, alternately moved above and below the psychological 16,000 level in mid-morning trade. A bout of volatility was witnessed in early afternoon trade as key benchmark indices regained strength after paring gains from intraday highs after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) left its key lending rate unchanged. The RBI announced the decision at about 12:00 IST. The market regained strength in afternoon trade.

The RBI on Friday left its main lending rate unchanged in order to support faltering economic growth as inflation shows signs of cooling. The central bank also refrained from cutting the cash reserve ratio (CRR) despite tight liquidity in the system. The repo rate has been left steady at 8.5% after increasing it 13 times since March 2010. The bank rate also remains static at 6%. The central bank kept its end-March 2012 inflation forecast unchanged at 7%.

While inflation remains on its projected trajectory, downside risks to growth have clearly increased, RBI said in a statement. The guidance given in the second quarter review of the monetary policy was that, based on the projected inflation trajectory, further rate hikes might not be warranted. In view of the moderating growth momentum and higher downside risks to growth, this guidance is being reiterated, RBI said. From this point on, monetary policy actions are likely to reverse the cycle, responding to the risks to growth, RBI said.

However, it must be emphasised that inflation risks remain high and inflation could quickly recur as a result of both supply and demand forces, the central bank said in statement. Also, the rupee remains under stress, RBI said. The timing and magnitude of further actions will depend on a continuing assessment of how these factors shape up in the months ahead, RBI said. The RBI has raised rates 13 times since March 2010.

RBI said there are currently no significant signs of stress in the money market. However, in view of the fact that borrowings from the LAF are persistently above the Reserve Bank of India's comfort zone, further open market operations (OMOs) will be conducted as and when seen to be appropriate, RBI said.

At 13:15 IST, the BSE Sensex was up 187.91 points or 1.19% to 16,024.38. The index jumped 217.17 points at the day's high of 16,053.64 in early afternoon trade, its highest level since 14 December 2011. The index rose 30.16 points at the day's low of 15,866.63 in early trade.

The S&P CNX Nifty was up 52.40 points or 1.1% to 4,798.75. The index hit a hit a high of 4,815.75 in intraday trade, its highest level since 14 December 2011. The Nifty hit a low of 4,752.50 in intraday trade.

The BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.68% and the BSE Small-Cap index was up 0.63%. Both these indices underperformed the Sensex.

The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was positive. On BSE, 1,459 shares rose and 1,020 shares fell. A total of 109 shares were unchanged.

From the 30-member Sensex pack, 24 stocks rose and the rest of them fell. Tata Motors (up 3.79%), ONGC (up 2.59%), Mahindra & Mahindra (up 2.57%), Bajaj Auto (up 2.36%), Hindalco Industries (up 2.20%), Tata Power Company (up 1.99%), Cipla (up 1.96%) and DLF (up 1.80%), edged higher from the Sensex pack. TCS (down 1.32%), Larsen & Toubro (down 0.82%), Wipro (down 0.22%), Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries (down 0.05%) and State Bank of India (down 0.04%), edged lower from the Sensex pack.

Shares of Bharti Airtel rose 3.71% on back of RBI's moves to curb volatility in the rupee, which in turn will help reduce losses on its foreign debt and exposure.

India's largest cigarette maker by sales ITC rose 1.5% to Rs 202.55.

India's second largest IT company by sales Infosys rose 1.66% to Rs 2760.25.

Index heavyweight Reliance Industries (RIL) rose 1.43% to Rs 759.40. The stock was volatile. The stock hit a high of Rs 760 and a low of Rs 745. The company's advance tax payment reportedly fell 15.79% to Rs 1002 crore in Q3 December 2011 over Q3 December 2010. Oil minister Jaipal Reddy said in a written reply in the lower house of parliament on Thursday, 15 December 2011, that the decline in gas output from RIL's east coast block is due to the company drilling fewer number of wells than promised and stoppage of production at six wells.

RIL late last month said that it has initiated arbitration proceedings against the government to seek an independent view of a tribunal on the issue of the company's entitlement of recovery of entire costs on KG-D6 gas blocks from the revenue generated from the blocks. RIL said it has initiated arbitration proceedings against the Government of India (GoI) in a bid to finally resolve the cost recovery issue so as not to hinder future investments in this block.

RIL said its investment in KG-D6 production facilities has been only partly recovered and the return on the investment so far is less than the cost of the capital. The production sharing contract (PSC) with the Government of India (GoI) contains no provision which entitles the GoI to restrict the costs recovered by the company by reference to factors such as the level of production or the extent to which field facilities are utilised, RIL said.

India's largest private sector bank by net profit, ICICI Bank rose 1.21% to Rs 706.70. The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 688.95 on Thursday, 15 December 2011. The bank's advance tax reportedly remained flat at Rs 450 crore in Q3 December 2011.

Top gainers in the BSE Mid-Cap index were, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise (up 9.37%), HMT (up 8.80%), Cox & Kings (up 7.88%), Electrosteel Steels (up 7.09%) and Bombay Rayon Fashions (up 5.16%).

Top gainers in the BSE Small-Cap index were, Unichem Laboratories (up 16.57%), Spanco (up 13.56%), Lloyds Metals & Engineers (up 8.89%), Inox Leisure (up 8.36%) and Astral Poly Technik (up 6.56%).

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold shares worth Rs 323.28 crore on Thursday, 15 December 2011, as per the provisional data from the stock exchanges. FII outflow totaled Rs 1701.09 crore in five trading sessions from 9 to 15 December 2011, as per provisional data from the stock exchanges. The recent outflow followed sustained inflow early this month.

As per reports, advance taxes for the third quarter from corporates headquartered in Mumbai has risen 10%. Cements and pharma companies have reported surge in advance tax payment for the third quarter. Advance taxes are collected in four installments -- 15% by 15 June; 40% by 15 September; 75% by 15 December and 100% by 15 March.

Credit rating agency Moody's Investors Service on Wednesday, 14 December 2011, said that the sharp decline in the value of the Indian rupee against the dollar is generally exerting only a moderate impact on rated Indian companies. Risks for companies holding large amounts of dollar denominated debt are also manageable in the near term, given that debt maturities are limited for this time frame, Moody's said in a new report. This means Indian companies rated by Moody's do not have a significant dollar outflow at a time when the Indian rupee is losing ground. Moody's latest assessment comes as the rupee continued its free fall against the dollar on Thursday, 15 December 2011, sinking to a new record low for the fourth straight day, as investors fled risk-sensitive currencies due to escalating concerns over Europe's sovereign debt crisis.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) took steps on Thursday to arrest the free-fall of the rupee after the local currency hit a new record low against the dollar for the fourth consecutive day. The new currency rules include reducing the net amount of US dollar-versus-rupee trade that authorized foreign-exchange dealers can hold on their books. Another measure of the bank's new rules would limit the amount of currency hedging by importers, who typically buy dollars.

A government statement in parliament last month dashed hopes of a relief in securities transaction tax (STT). Junior finance minister S.S. Palanimanickam has said that the government has no proposal to lower the securities transaction tax (STT). There has been a speculation that the government will reduce STT in Union Budget 2012-2013 in a bid to revive sagging volumes on the bourses. Palanimanickam said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha that the securities transaction tax receipts had declined by around 18% to Rs 2960 crore during the first six months in the current fiscal year from a year ago period.

The government last week said that the Rs 40000-crore stakes sale target in state-run companies would be hard to achieve this fiscal year, while tax receipts would suffer from the impact of the global slowdown.

Asian shares edged higher on Friday, 16 December 2011, as signs of strength in the US economy temporarily broke through gloom over the European debt crisis that had driven a sell-off in riskier assets over the past three days. Key benchmark indices in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea rose by between 0.30% to 2.02%.

Trading in US index futures indicated that the Dow could gain 81 points at the opening bell on Friday, 16 December 2011. US stocks rose modestly on Thursday, after a fall in US unemployment, a stronger-than-expected rise in regional factory activity and better-than-forecast results from FedEx Corp painted an improving picture of the economy. Jobless claims in the US dropped to a three and a half year low last week.

Fitch Ratings, the third-biggest of the major credit rating agencies, has downgraded seven global banks based in Europe and the United States, citing increased challenges in the financial markets. Bank of America Corp., Goldman Sachs and Citigroup had their credit grades cut by Fitch. Barclays, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and BNP Paribas also had their ratings lowered by Fitch.

Germany vision for European country!

Angela Merkel in Berlin on 2 December - a speech that laid out the German vision to remake the euro bloc

"We have started a new phase in European integration," Angela Merkel told the Bundestag last week.

"There are no quick and easy answers. Resolving the sovereign debt crisis is a process and this process will take years."

Few people outside Germany cared much when the quiet and unassuming chancellor stood to address members in the cold and clinical surroundings of the German parliament on 2 December.

But her words were keenly awaited by the German political elite.

Indeed, the speech may eventually be seen as one of the defining speeches in the recent history of the European Union.

In it, Mrs Merkel outlined the German vision of the future of Europe.

As Europe's largest economy - and biggest contributor so far to the bailouts of Greece, the Irish Republic and Portugal - Germany's view going into this week's EU summit is crucial.

"This is all about avoiding the next crisis," says Martin van Vliet, the senior economist at ING Bank in Amsterdam. "It has little effect on this one."

In the current climate, Mrs Merkel's blueprint for the future of the 27-member EU - and the 17-member eurozone - may well be the only one that matters.

Fiscal union

Mrs Merkel has called for a new EU treaty - with more power in controlling the finances of wayward nations.

Continue reading the main story

"We aren't just talking about a fiscal union," she told German lawmakers. "Rather, we have begun creating one.

"We need budget discipline and an effective crisis management mechanism," she said. "So we need to change the treaties or create new treaties."

The German government wants the new treaty to allow the EU to veto national budgets in the eurozone that breach the so-called "golden rule" regarding deficits.

Mrs Merkel wants to introduce sanctions if budgets end up having larger deficits, and she wants the European Court of Justice to have jurisdiction over disputes.

Pushing to transfer more national authority to Brussels at a time when the entire European project often appears to be on the verge of collapse may seem like a brazen strategy, particularly as there were already rules in place to prevent the current debt crisis from getting to this stage.

The Growth and Stability Pact was introduced when the euro was agreed in 1992. It limits budget deficits to no more than 3% of a country's total economy.

And following the recession in the early 2000s, who was it that quickly violated the pact? Germany and France.

Even Germany's closest ally is wary of some of Mrs Merkel's proposed changes, and the European Parliament President, Jerzy Buzek, warned last Friday that treaty change could be divisive and "dangerous".

That is because a treaty change would have to be approved by all 27 states - and with some requiring referendums to give up sovereignty, it could get messy.

So in a press conference with the French president on Monday, Mrs Merkel said that the treaty change would be for all 27 members - or for the 17 members of the eurozone to sign it, and other nations to do so voluntarily.

And subsequent decisions on issues such as bailouts will be passed by qualified majority, not unanimity as it now.

Whichever is easier for all of you, seemed to be the German message.

Business conditions improve

AUSTRALIAN business conditions nudged higher last month as a cut in interest rates helped shore up the economy against growing concerns about the outlook for Europe, National Australia Bank said today.

The bank's business conditions index rose 1 point to +1 points in November from October and the business confidence index was unchanged at +2 points over the same period. 

"Given that we have seen some slowing in global activity data, especially in Europe, the uptick in conditions in the month is perhaps more favourable than might have been expected," the bank said. 

The Reserve Bank of Australia cut interest rates at the start of last month, and then backed it up with a second cut this month. The central bank has warned the European debt crisis is beginning to be felt in Asia, a region crucial for Australia's exports. 

Financial markets expect the RBA to continue cutting interest rates in early 2012 as eurozone policy makers continue to scratch for answers to the region's debt crisis. 

"The continuing financial crisis in the eurozone is seriously damaging European business confidence and affecting economic activity. As a result, we are now expecting a deeper recession in that region with spill-over effects around the world," National Australia Bank said. 

NAB cut its forecast for world growth to 3.25 per cent for 2012 saying the big emerging market economies like China, India and Brazil are slowing as earlier policy tightening takes effect. 

Still, Australia's economy is a standout, with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development saying recently it will be among the fastest growing developed nations in 2012. 

NAB said the survey results are consistent with Australia growing at or around its historic averages, with improvement in November recorded in forward order, stocks, employment and capacity utilisation. 

Data last week showed the economy grew strongly in the third quarter thanks largely to a mining investment boom. Annualised, the economy grew by 3.9 per cent in the quarter. 

"Australian national accounts data heralded the start of the long-awaited mining investment boom, while consumption growth remains firm," NAB said. 

NAB expects Australia's commodity-rich economy to grow in year average terms by 4.5 per cent in 2012, accelerating from 2.1 per cent in 2011.

Business can't stop Global Warming

The climate summit in Durban, South Africa, does not appear to be making great strides. The United States is dragging its feet, blocking any binding agreement to reduce greenhouse gases.

Along with Washington, businesses are trying to turn the whole Durban process away from urgent emissions cuts and toward an increasingly perplexing and sophisticated array of non-solutions. These include large-scale biofuel plantations, genetically engineered “supercrops,” synthetic biology, unworkable yet lucrative carbon offset schemes and something called geoengineering, whereby scientists would turn the globe into a giant experiment by injecting newfangled materials into the atmosphere to try to counteract global warming.

Such technological quick fixes all assume that global warming can be tackled without changing entrenched patterns of production and consumption in industrialized societies. Even worse, they assume that the multifaceted ecological and societal crises that we face today can be addressed without confrontation, sacrifice or trade-offs. They assume that the free market can solve the climate change crisis when, in fact, it created the crisis.

The suits who are in Durban and elsewhere trying to sell us these technological fixes and free-market fallacies are in the environmental act to make money.

But turning this into a business is simply not right. The Freedom Riders, the 19th-century abolitionists, conscientious objectors against wars past and present, and the crusaders who risked life and limb for women’s suffrage and workers’ rights were not in it for the money. They would have regarded the idea of turning their brave struggles into business opportunities as comically obscene.

The major movements for social change, including the U.S. civil rights movement, well understood that power concedes nothing without a demand, that they could not afford to live in a make-believe “win-win” world in which freedom and progress are attained without a price.

For a way out of the climate crisis, proposals are not enough. We can talk all we want about local sustainable economies, organic city gardening, recycling, solar energy and steady-state post-growth economics, but we need action. We simply cannot continue along the path we’re on. It is literally destroying the planet.

And when it comes to action we should look to the example of activists who have physically obstructed the extraction of oil shale and tar sands and the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. These protesters are politically close relatives of the everyday folks who camped out in the Wisconsin state capitol earlier this year and the anti-Wall Street occupiers who are protesting all over the country right now.

This kind of activism holds out the most promise, as the late historian Howard Zinn taught us.

We need civil disobedience and massive non-collaboration with illegitimate authority if we are to reverse course on global climate change.

To save the environment, the last thing we should do is turn it into a business venture.

Redefining Official Performance with encouraging Business Quotes

If you have a vision for redefining performance at the workplace withencouraging business quotes, we have all them right here at Blogs N Reviews. These inspiring quotations for business leaders and executives will surely give you more than just a reason to get and stay inspired.

I have heard it said that the first ingredient of success — the earliest spark in the dreaming youth — if this; dream a great dream. – John A. Appleman

Keep away from small people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. – Mark Twain

To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition, the end to which every enterprise and labor tends, and of which every desire prompts the prosecution. – Samuel Johnson

The passion of self-aggrandizement is persistent but plastic; it will never disappear from a vigorous mind, but may become morally higher by attaching itself to a larger conception of what constitutes the self. – Charles Horton Cooley

Very few people are ambitious in the sense of having a specific image of what they want to achieve. Most people’s sights are only toward the next run, the next increment of money. – Judith M. Bardwick

Commerce is so far from being beneficial to arts, or to empire, that it is destructive of both, as all their history shows, for the above reason of individual merit being its great hatred. Empires flourish till they become commercial, and then they are scattered abroad to the four winds. – William Blake

You don’t hear things that are bad about your company unless you ask. It is easy to hear good tidings, but you have to scratch to get the bad news. – Thomas J. Watson

Successful-Business Promotion Quotes

When it comes to being successful in business endeavors, there is nothing more impressive than business promotion quotes.

There is no time for cut-and-dried monotony. There is time for work. And time for love. That leaves no other time! – Coco Chanel

There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else. – Sam Walton

Time is the scarcest resource and unless it is managed nothing else can be managed. – Peter Drucker

To command is to serve, nothing more and nothing less. – Andre Malraux

The most important quality in a leader is that of being acknowledged as such. All leaders whose fitness is questioned are clearly lacking in force. – Andre Maurois

The secret of business is to know something that nobody else knows. – Aristotle Onassis

The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell. – Confucius

The way to get things done is not to mind who gets the credit for doing them. – Benjamin Jowett

To think that the new economy is over is like somebody in London in 1830 saying the entire industrial revolution is over because some textile manufacturers in Manchester went broke. – Alvin Toffler

Try, try, try, and keep on trying is the rule that must be followed to become an expert in anything. – W. Clement Stone

We don’t have a monopoly. We have market share. There’s a difference. – Steve Ballmer

Available For Foreign Investors

Foreign Direct Investments

Foreign investment is freely permitted in almost all the sectors. Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) can be made under two routes-Automatic Route and Government Route. Under the Automatic Route, the foreign investor or the Indian company does not require any approval from RBI or from the Government of India for the investment. Under the Government Route, prior approval of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) ,Government of India, Ministry of Finance is required.

Investments through Stock Exchanges

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs), Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) are allowed to invest in the primary and secondary capital markets in India through the Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS). Under this scheme, FIIs/NRIs/PIOs can acquire shares/debentures of Indian companies through any stock exchange in India.

• The ceiling for overall investment for FIIs is 24 per cent of the paid up capital of the Indian company and 10 per cent for NRIs/PIOs. The limit is 20 per cent of the paid up capital in the case of public sector banks.
• The ceiling of 24 per cent for FII investment can be raised up to sectoral cap/statutory ceiling, subject to the approval of the board and the general body of the company passing a special resolution to that effect. And the ceiling of 10 per cent for NRIs/PIOs can be raised to 24 per cent subject to the approval of the general body of the company passing a resolution to that effect.
• The ceiling for FIIs is independent of the ceiling of 10 per cent/24 per cent for NRIs/PIOs.
• The equity shares and convertible debentures of the companies within the prescribed ceilings are available for purchase under PIS subject to:
• - the total purchase of all NRIs/PIOs both, on repatriation and non-repatriation basis, being within an overall ceiling limit of (a) 24 per cent of the company's total paid up equity capital and (b) 24 per cent of the total paid up value of each series of convertible debenture; and
• - the investment made on repatriation basis by any single NRI/PIO in the equity shares and convertible debentures not exceeding five per cent of the paid up equity capital of the company or five per cent of the total paid up value of each series of convertible debentures issued by the company.

Investment in Euro Issues/Mutual Funds Floated Overseas

Foreign investors can invest in Euro issues (ADRs/GDRs/FCCBs) of Indian companies and in India-specific funds floated abroad.

Broking Business

Foreign brokers upon registration with the SEBI are allowed to route the business of their registered FII clients through the members of any stock exchange. Guidelines for the same have been issued by SEBI.

Asset Management Companies / Merchant Banking

Foreign participation (full/part) in Asset Management Companies and Merchant Banking companies is permitted.

Obama visiting Kansas to push payroll

By Charles Dharapak, AP

WASHINGTON – President Obama will attempt to summon his inner Teddy Roosevelt when he heads deep into Republican country Tuesday to make his case for an expansion and extension of the payroll tax holiday that is due to expire at the end of the year.

Obama heads to Osawatomie — a northeast Kansas hamlet of 4,600 where Roosevelt made his New Nationalism speech in 1910 — and will argue that America faces a make-or-break moment for the middle class.

Just as Roosevelt called for the United States to become a country that offered a "square deal," Obama intends to use his Osawatomie speech to call for a "fair shake" for middle-class families and those trying to get into the middle class, White House press secretary Jay Carney said.

STORY: 8 steps to the presidential election: What to watch for

Obama has made extending the payroll tax holiday — which lowered the payroll tax rate from 6.2% to 4.2% in 2011 — a top priority and has sought to paint the GOP as less concerned about middle-class Americans. Last week, Senate Republicans blocked an Obama-backed plan that proposed lowering the payroll tax rate to 3.1% for 160 million Americans through a 3.25% surtax on 350,000 others that earn more than $1 million.

"How can you fight tooth-and-nail to protect high-end tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans, and yet barely lift a finger to prevent taxes going up for 160 million Americans who really need the help?" Obama said Monday.

The visit to Kansas — a state that hasn't voted for a Democrat in a presidential race in 1964 — is Obama's first as president and comes as Republicans mount criticism that he is spending too much time in battleground states.

Obama warns that failing to extend the payroll tax holiday could hurt the economy and in recent days has spoken of an unease that federal policy is skewing in favor of the wealthy — a theme that Roosevelt hammered at in his Osawatomie speech.

In many ways, Roosevelt's speech previewed his 1912 election challenge to William Howard Taft, first in the Republication nomination contest and later as a third-party candidate. Roosevelt, then an ex-president, visited Osawatomie at a time he was becoming increasingly critical of his successor and fellow Republican.

Osawatomie leans Republican, but that hasn't dampened excitement about Obama's visit. Residents lined up for hours to grab 500 tickets that were made available to the public. The small town also was aflutter with speculation as dozens of White House officials tried to stealthily — but unsuccessfully — scout out Osawatomie last week to prepare for Obama's visit, said Mayor Philip Dudley.

And while many in the audience are unlikely to vote for Obama, Dudley said that they're eager to hear his pitch for extending the payroll tax holiday.

"I know people here that are living paycheck to paycheck, working two or three jobs and every little bit helps," Dudley said. "We do understand that we do need to get the federal deficit under control — nobody disagrees with that statement — but the payroll tax ultimately started out as our money."

But Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., said he was doubtful that the White House's push for an extension of the payroll tax holiday resonates with Kansans, who have weathered the tough economy better than much of the country. The state's unemployment rate sits at 6.7% — well below the 8.6% national unemployment rate.

Huelskamp also contends that his constituents are more concerned about eliminating federal environmental regulations and businesses are looking for long-term certainty on tax rates.

"I think if he took the opportunity to come and listen to people instead of talking at them, the president would get an earful about regulations that are killing our economy," Huelskamp said. "He wouldn't get people saying we need a payroll tax holiday that's going to give us an extra $20 per week."

Decision on hold, Pranab Mukherjee tells Sushma Swaraj

NEW DELHI: In a latest development on the Union Cabinet's agreement to allow 51 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail, the country's Finance Minster, Pranab Mukherjee has told oppostion leaders including Sushma Swaraj that FDI in retail has been put on hold, PTI sources said.

According to sources, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee called BJP leader Sushma Swaraj and offered her this compromise. He will make the formal announcement on this in Parliament when it reconvenes after its long weekend on Wednesday.

Congress' powerful regional ally, Trinamool Congress had also been exercising a national veto to get the Centre to put the decision to allow 51% FDI in retail trading on hold.

The Congress leadership, which does not want the retail issue to come in the way of its political plans for poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, is in no mood for a confrontation with the alliance partners. This came through in the response of Congress general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi to the plans to suspend the decision.

He said the Congress welcomed every attempt to break parliamentary logjam and described Mamata Banerjee as a valuable ally of his party. But the perception of the centre of gravity shifting to the bases of allies is not good news for the prime minister, who has been citing retail decision as a key element of the policy matrix that he wants to establish.

It may be recalled that Singh had said that it was a "well considered" decision. India Inc leaders on Sunday attempted to drive home the same point. "Opposing investment in modern retail for the sake of it is only defending vested interests to the detriment of the vast majority," a joint statement issued by HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh and former Unilever chief Ashok Ganguly said.

"Democracy encourages openness and permits and dissent, but perennial disarray and disruption is sacrilegious," they said.

Shares in Indian retail firms fell on Monday by as much as 10%. Shares in Pantaloon, whose Big Bazaar supermarket chain is seen by sector analysts as the number one tie-up target for a foreign supermarket, fell as much as 11 percent on Monday -- giving up much of the gains made after the reforms were announced on Nov. 24.