Companies bet on rising births in a year linked to power and wealth. The every-12-year event “will boost the demand for infant products” Smart executives know how to read business cycles. In China, some businesses also play close attention to demographic ones—especially the traditional spike in births associated with the Year of the Dragon, which [...]
Dec. 6 (Bloomberg) — Norway is planning to step up its issuance of government bonds after disrupting credit markets as far as Japan with an uncoordinated decision last month to wind down state-backed Eksportfinans ASA. The government wants to find an extra 40 billion kroner ($6.9 billion) next year to fund direct loans to exporters, [...]
(Updates ADRs in the last paragraph.) Dec. 5 (Bloomberg) — Honda Motor Co. says replenished vehicle inventory and new Honda and Acura models planned for the next 24 months will spur a U.S. sales rebound next year after natural disasters dashed its 2011 goals. Honda’s loss of some North American output in October and November [...]
During the Israeli siege of Nablus in 2002, Mohammad Hijaz hopped fences, hid behind walls, and snuck ambulance rides to get to the Palestinian stock exchange. Operation Defensive Shield shuttered the market as Israeli tanks took positions inside the West Bank city, but Hijaz frequently stole into the office to finish reports.