I have written a few posts about China recently. None have taken a look at the big picture for Chinese growth and at its affects on big Chinese companies that are receiving large overseas investment in their shares. Overall, China will not decouple. At a minimum, growth will slow — by how much [...]

The Escalade Hybrid is here and I want one. It’s almost as good as the Prius. It’s like conservation without the sacrifice. (Do you sense the sarcasm?)

For someone like me who flew nearly 150 flights in 2007, airport lounges are great bonus. Kicking back at Toronto’s Pearson airport with all the free Molson you want makes airport delays doable. And the children’s room with near sound-proof walls? You have to love that.
But, now another perk of business flying [...]

As the economy hits stall speed, it is only to be expected that corporate default rates are set to rise. In fact, they have risen already, doubling since 2007.

Through last week, 42 companies, all but one based in the U.S., have defaulted, affecting $33.6 billion worth of debt, according to rating agency [...]

Starbucks has released the full list of the 600 stores it expects to close in the coming year. Long a Wall Street darling, Starbucks’ retrenchment is very much representative of the magnitude of the slowdown we are now seeing. Apparently, $4 lattes and recession don’t mix.
Here is the full list in pdf form.

Share

This report comes from Fin24 in South Africa.
Iran on Sunday said it has discovered a new oil field in the hydrocarbon-rich province of Khuzestan with more than one billion barrels of crude in place.
Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari said the oil field held 1.1 billion barrels of sweet crude oil, of which 233 [...]

Who says producers can’t pass on rising costs? This is one of the reasons many economists fear commodity inflation; somehow it gets embedded into the system if it goes on too long.
Procter & Gamble Co., the maker of Tide laundry detergent and Head & Shoulders shampoo, announced yesterday it will raise prices as much [...]

I have been following a story for a few months in the Canadian Press on Transat, a tour operator. I hadn’t reported on it until now because they were just bailed out. It seems they have gotten tangled in the ABCP (Asset-Backed Commercial Paper) market. The market has become frozen and they are [...]