According to a semi-annual survey conducted by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), as of the end of 2006 the number of Internet users in China was estimated to be 137 million, a 10.5% penetration rate.
Logitech International SA of Switzerland, will become a component of the NASDAQ-100 Index® and the NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index prior to market open on February 1, 2007. Logitech International SA will replace Comverse Technology, Inc. Logitech International SA will also be included in the NASDAQ-100 Index Tracking StockSM.
Busiest month ever for cash markets -23.1 million cash transactions, up 24.1% year-on-year. Busiest January ever for interest rate and commodity products - 64.3 million derivatives contracts traded, up 13% year-on-year.
Euronext will be extending its service offering in the run-up to implementation of the EU Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID), set to take effect in November 2007. This new range of services will initially be built around three major projects that Euronext plans to make available from November 1, 2007:
HSBC Credit Card Services, the U.S. credit card unit of one of the world's largest financial services companies, has launched a mobile phone payments pilot, in partnership with MasterCard and ViVOtech.
Japan has recently recovered from the collapse of the ‘bubble economy’ and the manufacturing and service sectors have been growing steadily since then. The service providers in Japan need to clearly understand the fluctuations in the economy and the ever-changing manufacturing trends to stay competitive. Moreover, the nature of Japanese logistics is entirely different from most other countries.
Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE:EK) today reported fourth-quarter net earnings from continuing operations of $17 million, on lower year-over-year revenues, reflecting cost reduction efforts that boosted earnings and an emphasis on pursuing profitable sales.
Euro area (EA12) seasonally-adjusted unemployment stood at 7.5% in December 2006, compared to 7.6% in November. It was 8.4% in December 2005. The EU25 unemployment rate was 7.6% in December 2006, the same as November. It was 8.5% in December 2005.
Infotech spending by small and medium businesses (1-999 employees) is on track to reach a whopping US$95 billion this year across the Asia-Pacific region outside of Japan, with three key countries—China, South Korea and Australia—leading the pack. That represents an annual growth rate of 16% over 2006, according to the latest study by New York-based Access Market International (AMI) Partners, Inc.
While last year not one bank expressed interest in going public in the next 3 years, this year 12% of and 14% of banks that have mutual charters (mutuals) said they were “very” or “somewhat” likely to take their bank public in the next three years, according to Grant Thornton’s 14th Annual Survey of Bank Executives.
