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Strike against GM nears three weeks

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The main remaining issues in the negotiations between the United Auto Workers union and General Motors Co have narrowed to wages and pensions. Meanwhile the strike continues, nearing three weeks. The GM strike began on Sept. 16 with the 48,000 UAW members seeking higher pay, greater job security, a bigger share of the leading U.S. automaker’s profit and protection of healthcare benefits. The sides have been meeting daily and talks continued on Saturday. One of the major remaining issues includes the UAW’s desire to reduce the time it takes newer hires to earn the top wage scale of about $31 an hour from the current eight-year period. Another issue is a desire by the union for a higher pension payout. However, there is a much bigger issue standing in the background: electric cars. UAW members’ anxieties and uncertainties are actually shared by GM and most other automakers, which know that it’s no longer a question of when internal combustion engine cars will be replaced b...
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Luxury handbags market keeps growing strong

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The global luxury handbags market is expected to post a compound annual growth rate of over 7% during the period 2019-2023, according to the latest market research report by Technavio. A key factor driving the growth of the market is the high influence of celebrity endorsements on purchase decisions. With increasing number of fashion-conscious consumers , the fashion industry has been experiencing rapid changes and advances over the last two decades. Endorsements and the use of fashion products such as luxury handbags by celebrities serve as catalysts in propelling purchase decisions. Currently, manufacturers of handbag and personal luxury goods are adopting different marketing campaigns and strategies to expand their consumer base, brand image to trigger the sales of luxury handbags. Online advertising is also an essential part of marketing strategies, wherein, vendors often sign multiyear endorsement agreements with high-profile celebrities to enhance their brand ...
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Japan can’t solve the aging issue

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The world’s most aged society sets new records . Japan’s elderly accounted for 28.4 per cent of its population and 12.9 per cent of its labour force in 2018, both record highs, government data released on Sunday showed. The number of citizens aged 65 or older in Japan, which has the world’s oldest population, stood at 35.88 million, up 320,000 from a year earlier, according to the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, which released the figures ahead of the country’s Respect for the Aged Day on Monday. The ratio of seniors in Japan remained well above the 23 per cent in Italy, the world’s second most aged society. The number of Japanese aged 90 or older reached 2.31 million, including 70,000 centenarians. The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research projects Japan’s elderly will make up 30 per cent of the population in 2025 and 35.3 per cent in 2040. The proportion of seniors with jobs increased for the 15th consecutive year as the country faces a ...
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Dow and S&P keep rising

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The Dow and S&P 500 booked gains on Friday, logging a third day of gains in a row, on the heels of the government jobs report that showed hiring slowed in August. The Dow (INDU) closed up 70 points, or 0.3%, while the S&P 500 (SPX) finished up 0.1%. Both indexes alternated between gains and losses shortly after the opening bell. The Nasdaq Composite (COMP) was the only major index finishing in the red. It closed down 0.2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 394.18 points, or 1.5%, to 26,797.46 this paseek, t wwhile the S&P 500 rose 1.8% to 2978.71, and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.8% to 8103.07. Those gains followed last week’s 2.8% rise in the S&P 500 and marked the first two-week winning streak since July. Friday morning’s jobs report showed the United States added 130,000 jobs last month, missing expectations and providing further evidence of a slowdown in hiring. Private payrolls grew at the weakest pace since May. Wage growth, however, grew 3.2...
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Nicole Junkermann business leader

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Nicole Junkermann is a German born and London-based entrepreneur and investor. She is the founder of NJF Holdings, which includes NJF Capital, NJF Private Equity, NJF Real Estate and The JJ Collection. As a business leader she is focused primarily on the crossover between the media and technology sectors. Nicole Junkermann is among a new group of well-connected, successful entrepreneurs. She believes that digital innovation and experimental technology will create breakthroughs in areas from medicine to education, and from retailing to premium content consumption. Nicole Junkermann career Junkermann began her business career as a co-founder of football gaming portal Winamax. Following its sale in 2001, she invested in newly-founded Infront Sports and Media, a sports media rights agency. Three of her early investments, Songza, Dollar Shave Club and RelatelQ, were acquired by Google, Unilever and Salesforce, respectively. Nicole Junkermann’s holdings and activities have included ...
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What future for Foxconn's new China factory?

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When ground was broken in March 2017 for a new US$9 billion factory owned by a subsidiary of Foxconn Group, the event was witnessed by then Guangdong party secretary Hu Chunhua and Terry Gou Tai-ming, the Taiwanese billionaire who created Foxconn, the world’s largest assembler of Apple’s iPhones and tablets. The plant was hailed by local media as an example of Chinese efficiency in promoting investments that matter for the future and the country’s key role in the global value chain. The Southern Daily, an official Guangdong newspaper, reported that the project would be Guangzhou’s contribution to the “Made in China 2025” strategy and would help the city, and the province, move up the value chain. Now, after two years of construction in the Guangzhou suburb, the plant’s main structure is completed, and on a recent visit trucks were seen going in and out of a gated compound. Workers at the site said production lines were being shipped in and installed so the factory could start p...
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