This is about to be the best reason to switch from iPhone to Android

• Rafi Letzter
 

• May 26, 2016, 5:41 PM
• 48,845
 
• 6

Antonio Villas-Boas/Tech Insider

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Probably the hottest point of contention in the Tech Insider newsroom is whether Android or iOS is the better ecosystem.

I tend to come down on team Droid. The affordability and openness of Google's ecosystem offers huge advantages over Apple's closed iOS. But I understand the case for iPhones: They're reliable, always up to date, and (mostly) just work.

Ask the average iPhone user why they stick with Apple'sincreasingly boring, expensive lineup though and the answer is simple: They're used to iOS. It's simple, beautiful, familiar, and easy to use. Trying to convince one to switch to Android is almost like trying to convince a Windows or OS X user to switch to Linux (the niche, techy PC operating system on which Android is in fact based).

But Google is on the verge of striking a major blow in the ease-of-use wars: Project Abacus, Google's plan to do away with smartphone passwords almost entirely.

With Abacus, due to release in the next several months, Android devices will keep track of biometric markers like walking gate, typing patterns, the look of your face, your location and other things to build an up-to-the moment "trust score"  — a degree of certainty that the person holding your phone is in fact you. Different apps will be able to set different trust score thresholds at which you can use them.

This plan could largely kill the lock screen, finger presses, and other obstacles built into the current every day experience of phone use. In other words, it will make the average Android much more simple and easy to use than the average iPhone.

Do I think that will be enough to unseat Apple's throne atop the luxury phone mountain? No. But a huge majority of the world's smartphone users already use Android devices. And as iPhones get less and less interesting compared to premium Galaxies and HTCs, Abacus is exactly the kind of standout feature that could cause buyers on the fence to flip.

Fed, China fears force investors to check out of Asia

• Reuters

• 15h
• 429

Thomson ReutersA businessman walks in Tokyo's business district, Japan

By Nichola Saminather and Vidya Ranganathan

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Having dumped Asian shares on resurgent worries about China's economy, the specter of more aggressive U.S. interest rate rises is now forcing global investors to sell the region's bonds and currencies.

A net $3.2 billion left Asian equity markets, excluding Japan, during the period May 1 to 24, the largest outflow since January, data from HSBC showed. Indonesia's and South Korea's bond markets, heavy recipients of foreign investment until March, are now seeing chunks of inflows reverse while Asia's currencies have also fallen quite sharply.

Some market participants see foreign investment outflows across Asian asset classes as an overreaction, given the strides policymakers have made in shoring up capital flight defenses since the "Fed taper tantrum" in 2013.

But for others, the unease around the Fed's policy deliberations twins increasing concerns around currency volatility with broader worries about the health of the China's real economy.

"If the Fed hikes rates in June, it might come at a time when the Chinese economy weakens, and that could also mean that the Chinese currency starts to weaken again," said Herald van der Linde, head of Asia-Pacific equity strategy at HSBC in Hong Kong.

"And that could lead to a scenario where everybody's up and down and markets fall five to 10 percent."

MSCI's Asia Pacific ex-Japan index <.miapj0000pus> rose 19 percent between late January and end-April on the tailwinds of a dovish Fed, stabilization in commodity prices and hopes China's economy will recover.

The fall - the index is down 5 percent since and touched a 12-week low on May 24 - is reminiscent of the selloff that followed the Fed's first rate rise in a decade in December.

It also comes as a surprise for some, given the relative health of Asia's economies compared with other emerging market blocs, such as Latin America.

And the downside could be limited given the broad dollar trade-weighted index <.dxy> has climbed 20 percent over the past two years, suggesting Asian currencies may have already priced in higher U.S. rates.

Despite this, plenty of asset managers expect further weakness in emerging markets and are positioned accordingly.

Deutsche Asset Management, for instance, expects another dip in emerging markets in the second half of the year and is holding off buying Asia.

"The market is split between those who think it's time to buy emerging markets and those who think the China data is not sustainable and U.S. rates will go up and emerging markets are overvalued," said Sean Taylor, chief investment officer at Deutsche Asset Management. Deutsche had $846 billion of assets under management at the end of December.

Soft Chinese economic data in April has raised doubts about the effectiveness and sustainability of the fiscal stimulus being doled out in the world's second-largest economy.

Chinese stocks <.ssec>, the region's worst performers, are down almost 20 percent this year.

For bond investors, Asia's weakening currencies aren't the only concern: subdued inflation and already low central bank rates mean the scope for gains is more limited than it is in other emerging markets.

Indonesia's rupiah government bond market, for example, received about $5 billion of foreign investment in the year to April, but about $670 million has left so far in May.

While investors expect Indonesia's central bank could cut rates by a further 125 basis points, the currency's 3 percent swift decline since last week may give authorities reason to pause and investors a reason to hold back.

"There's still quite a lot of fear out there," said Oliver Lee, investment director at Old Mutual Global Investors, which has $37.3 billion of assets under management.

"The renewed U.S. dollar strength and concerns around slowing stimulus in China could potentially be short-term headwinds."

(Reporting By Nichola Saminather; Editing by Sam Holmes)

Read the original article on Reuters. Copyright 2016. Follow Reuters on Twitter.

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'Remain' 5 points ahead of 'Leave' in Brexit ORB poll: Daily Telegraph

• Reuters

• 17h
• 80

Thomson ReutersUnion flags and the Big Ben clocktower cover notebooks are seen on sale in London, Britain

(Reuters) - Support for Britain to stay in the European Union stood at 51 percent, 5 points ahead of support for a withdrawal from the 28-member bloc, an ORB poll for the Telegraph said on Monday.

Support to leave the union grew by 4 points to 46 percent according to the poll published Monday.

Britons will vote on June 23 on whether to remain in the 28-member bloc.

(Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru; Editing by Diane Craft)

Read the original article on Reuters. Copyright 2016. Follow Reuters on Twitter.

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Investors around the world are ditching stocks in favour of bonds

• David Scutt, Business Insider Australia

• May 27, 2016, 6:20 AM
• 668

Investors globally continued to ditch stocks last week, creating a seven-week run in demonstrating a preference to invest in fixed income assets instead.

According to research from Kenneth Chan, a quantitative strategist at Jefferies in Hong Kong, global equity funds recorded net outflows of US$8.9 billion, taking cumulative outflows over the past seven weeks to US$58.37 billion.

“Entering the last week of May and approaching major central bank meetings in June, investors remained cautious towards global equities,” said Chan.

As shown in the chart below, supplied by Jefferies, having seen fund inflows from the middle of 2015, investors have turned cold on stocks since the beginning of April.

EPFR, Jefferies

Over the week Chan notes that investors were indiscriminate in their selling, with outflow broad-based whether measured geographically or by sector.

“Geographically, US equities witnessed a marginal outflow of US$1.7 billion,” says Chan, noting that “investors withdrew more significantly from large caps and invested into small caps”.

It was a similar story for Europe, with outflows continuing for the 13th week in succession, somewhat ominously the longest stretch seen since 2007.

In Europe, the US$3.2 billion withdrawal extended its current outflow run to 13 weeks, the longest since 2007,” says Chan. “While equity outflows remained broad-based by country, Germany (-US$797mn) and UK (-US$733mn) topped the region in net outflow terms for the week.”

Luke MacGregor / Reuters

“The former also topped in net outflow terms year-to-date,” he added.

Fitting with the bullish price action in financial stocks, something that coincided with a lift in expectations for a near-term US interest rate hike, investors were net buyers for a third consecutive week.

Though funds continued to flow out of stocks, it was a very different story for bond funds which saw net inflows for an eighth straight week.

“Global bond funds extended their current inflow streak to eight weeks, with an inflow of US$2.6 billion of late,” says Chan.

“Government bonds recorded a rare return of inflow while corporate bonds continued to attract investors’ interest.”

On the other hand, Chan notes that “high yield bonds saw a net withdrawal of US$2.1 billion, the heaviest in 15 weeks” citing “the fact that more than 70 corporate borrowers have defaulted globally so far this year, the fastest pace since 2009”.

This “has put high yield bonds under pressure again for the past four weeks”, he said.

Read the original article on Business Insider Australia. Copyright 2016. Follow Business Insider Australia on Twitter.

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China just set a world record for car buying

• David Scutt, Business Insider Australia

• May 27, 2016, 3:35 AM
• 1,380
 
• 2

When it comes to car sales globally, no nation, not even the US, can compete with China.

According to research from Frederic Neumann, economist at HSBC in Hong Kong, over 21 million cars were sold in China over the past 12 months, easily exceeding the United States in second-place with just over 17 million vehicles sold.

As the chart below, supplied by HSBC, reveals, car sales in China easily exceeded those in Asia excluding Japan over the same period.

Business Insider Australia

And sales are still growing at a solid clip, although there are faster growing markets across the region.

If there is to be a challenger to China in terms of total car sales, it’s likely to come from India, as shown in the final chart below. Sales levels are just below those of China, and growing more quickly at present.

Business Insider Australia

Read the original article on Business Insider Australia. Copyright 2016. Follow Business Insider Australia on Twitter.

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Capitalizing Happiness (Video)

Capitalizing Happiness

2016 

Ricardo Semler is a wealthy and successful man. He's one of the world's most influential entrepreneurs. He's the majority owner of Semco Partners, one of the most profitable companies in Brazil. He's the author of the global bestseller Maverick, an informative business memoir that offers advice on how to craft a fulfilled life of financial reward much like his own. He is celebrated all around the globe, and his expertise is sought by the likes of the TED Talks conference and Harvard Business School. By all accounts, Semler is a happy man. Ironically, as detailed in the revealing new documentary Capitalizing Happiness, he earned his fortune by making others happy as well.

When he inherited his father's company at the age of 20, Semler witnessed a work force that was fearful of termination, under tremendous pressures from their job demands, and generally unhappy in their working life. Understanding the power of collaboration through his previous experience playing in musical bands, Semler decided to reinvent his company's work culture. His employees would no longer be made to feel that they were slaves of industry. They would be treated like free and valued individuals, and allowed to work at their own pace.

When we first see this workforce in action, several employees are resting in hammocks. This is a period of their work day that they reserve for peace and relaxation. As long as their work gets done on time, they're free to spend their days in the office however they see fit.

Semco Partners employees love their jobs, and their satisfaction makes them more productive and engaged. Under Semler's groundbreaking workplace model, the company has increased its annual revenue by well over 200 million US dollars.

His employees and the worldwide business community alike regard Semler as somewhat of a mythic figure. Capitalizing Happiness gives us unprecedented access behind the gates of his Brazilian estate, and captures valuable insights into his life and his business philosophy, which are both infused with the values of love, transparency and trust. The film provides a thoughtful and inspiring portrait of a true modern-day pioneer.

Want to know the secret to finding success in business? All you need is love.

Valeant rejected joint takeover bid from Takeda, TPG in spring: source

• Reuters

• 11h
• 199

Thomson ReutersThe headquarters of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. seen in Laval Quebec

By Michael Flaherty

(Reuters) - Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Increceived a joint takeover offer from Japan's Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd and TPG Capital Management LP [TPG.UL] this spring that the Canadian drugmaker rejected, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The offer was made a few weeks before Joseph Papa took over as Valeant's new chief executive in April last week, the source told Reuters.

The board wants to give Papa time to focus on running the company before thinking about a sale offer, the source said.

Takeda and private equity firm TPG were ready to offer a substantial premium to Valeant, whose stock had fallen about 65 percent this year up to the close of trade on April 22 as the drugmaker was not just seeking a new head but was also hit by an accounting scandal, the source added.

However, analysts from Mizuho Securities USA said that large shareholders and board members are so far 'underwater' on their positions and would not want to part with the stock even at a premium to current levels.

"It would require a hostile offer and protracted battle to dislodge the current board, which most activists may find unattractive," Irina Koffler, an analyst from Mizuho, said in a note late Thursday.

The brokerage, which reiterated its 'underperform' rating on Valeant, also said the company's assets do not warrant a premium bid at this time.

TPG and Valeant declined to comment. Takeda did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

There are currently no talks between the three companies following the bid's rejection, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news late Thursday and also added that as part of the approach Takeda would take the business of Salix Pharmaceuticals and TPG would take much of the rest.

Valeant's shares were up 6 percent at $28.55 on the New York Stock Exchange in extended trading on Thursday.

(Reporting by Michael Flaherty in New York; Ramkumar Iyer and Rishika Sadam in Bengaluru; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Sunil Nair)

Read the original article on Reuters. Copyright 2016. Follow Reuters on Twitter.

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Snapchat quietly added an IPO specialist to its board

• Eugene Kim
 
•  

• 21h
• 6,057
 
• 6

Michael Kovac/Getty ImagesSnapchat CEO Evan Spiegel.

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Snapchat quietly added a seasoned IPO specialist to its board last year, the latest sign that the fast-growing messaging app is preparing for a public-market debut even as it raises huge sums of money from private investors.

Snapchat listed Stan Meresman as its board member for the first time in a regulatory filing on Thursday. Meresman wasn't listed in any of Snapchat's previous SECfilings.

On his personal website, Meresman describes himself as a financial expert who "advises CEOs & CFOs on preparing to become a public reporting company, IPO process, operating as a public company, and scaling the company for rapid growth."

Meresman notes on his website that he has guided four companies through their successful IPOs — LinkedIn, Zynga, Riverbed Technology, and Polycom — and he served as the CFO at chipmaker Cypress Semiconductor during its IPO.

Meresman, who serves on the boards of LinkedIn and Palo Alto Networks, joined Snapchat's board in July 2015, according tohis LinkedIn page.

Snapchat's representative wasn't immediately available for comment.

The company closed a massive $1.81 billion round of funding on Thursday, according to the US Securities and Exchange Commission filing. The funding was part of a long-term effort that, according to the file, began in February 2015. No valuation was given, though the company was valued at $16 billion in previous fundraising rounds, according to media reports.

Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel has been clear about the company's IPO ambitions in the past, though he has been tight-lipped about any time frame. In an appearance at the Recode conference in May 2015, Spiegel said that "we need to IPO" and said the company has a plan to do so.

Meresman appears to be a key part of that plan.

Other members of Snapchat's board listed in Thursday's filing include Spiegel, cofounder Robert Murphy, venture capitalist Mitch Lasky, Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton, and Cosmopolitan Editor-in-Chief Joanna Coles. 

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More: Snapchat Stan Meresman Evan Spiegel IPO