April, 2016

• 4 April

  It’s high time to solve the productivity mystery

  

  A paradox of our time concerns productivity. We are awash in transformative technologies — smartphones, tablets, big data — and yet the growth in labour productivity, which should benefit from all the technology, is dismal. This matters. Productivity is economic lingo for efficiency, and it’s the wellspring of higher living standards. If productivity lags, so will wages and incomes. The ...

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• 4 April

  ‘Panama Papers’ calls for transparency

  The leaked documents by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) could smear Panama’s image as an offshore haven for money laundering, even after it had exerted efforts to clear its name. The documents, from around 214,000 offshore entities, came from Mossack Fonseca, a Panama-based law firm with offices in more than 35 countries. The leaked data, known as the ...

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• 4 April

  Is North Korea fed up with China?

  John Power SPECIAL TO EMIRATES BUSINESS North Korea’s ruling party recently called on citizens to stand up to its patron China’s “hostile schemes” in a blistering attack that invoked nuclear war with Beijing, a report has claimed. In a document distributed to provincial committees, the Workers’ Party of Korea implored party members and workers to “soundly crush China’s pressuring schemes ...

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• 4 April

  The real victims of political bias in academia

  Every time I write about bias against conservatives in academia, I can count on a few professors writing me to politely suggest that I have no idea what I’m talking about. Sometimes they aren’t so polite, either. How would I know what goes on in their hiring meetings, their faculty gatherings, their tenure reviews? They’re right there, and they can ...

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• 4 April

  WikiLeaks bolsters Greek relief case

  

  The release this weekend by WikiLeaks of the purported transcript of discussions among International Monetary Fund officials about the best way to compel Greece’s creditors to accept debt restructuring led to much finger pointing and seeming indignation. Yet the economic case for forgiving that country’s debt is straightforward: Without relief within a comprehensive reform program, Greece will struggle to grow, ...

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• 4 April

  Chinese company wants to turn the world’s lights on

  

  China’s State Grid Corporation, the world’s biggest power company, is on an impressive buying binge. As Bloomberg News reports, the company is “actively in bidding” for power assets in Australia, hoping to add them to a portfolio of Italian, Brazilian, and Filipino companies. The goal isn’t simply to invest, however. State Grid’s Chairman Liu Zhenya has a plan that he ...

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• 4 April

  Stocks fluctuate with dollar; oil, natural gas lead resources

  

  BLOOMBERG U.S. stocks fluctuated near the highest levels of the year, while the dollar and Treasuries were little changed as investors assessed the potential for central-bank stimulus to boost flagging global growth. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index edged higher after a sixth weekly gain in seven, while European and Asian equities climbed from the lowest levels in at least ...

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• 4 April

  Emirates Securities Market up by 1.06 percent

  

  ABU DHABI / EMIRATES BUSINESS The Emirates Securities Market Index has increased by 1.06% to close at 4507.24 points. Accordingly the Market Capitalization has gained AED 7.68 billion attaining AED 731.13 billion. A total of 0.77 Billion Shares were traded with a total value of AED 0.84 billion during the trading session of 04-04-2016 through 8238 transactions. The number of companies which ...

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• 4 April

  Airbus A330neo best fit for Asian travel: Avolon

  

  Bloomberg Avolon, the aircraft-leasing company acquired by the parent of China’s Hainan Airlines Co., is in talks with carriers keen to add Airbus Group SE’s A330neo to their fleets and may increase orders for the new wide-body jet as Asian travel demand spikes. “We’ve been in discussions with Airbus, as we place more, we may order more,” Chief Executive Officer ...

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• 4 April

  Amazon makes foray into fashion world

  

  New York / AFP Amazon has been making moves over the past few months to position itself as a force in the ready-to-wear fashion world. The Seattle-based online retail titan has already revolutionised how consumers shop and has been selling clothes for more than a decade. In 2006, it bought the site Shopbop and snapped up online footwear go-to Zappos ...

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