300 pounds of ganja seized in Burnt Savannah 2:56 PM
$3 million worth of detergent stolen 2:49 PM
Arrant nonsense — JLP lashes Bunting 1:15 PM
Gang conflicts raging 11:41 AM
Business
Jamaica Business News, Economy, and Financial Sector Information
New IMF deal will inspire confidence in the business sector, says PM
MONTEGO BAY, St James - PRIME Minister Portia Simpson Miller says that one of the reasons behind her administration’s thrust to establish a medium-term macroeconomic programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is to inspire confidence in the business sector. “The new agreement with the Fund will pro ...more
0 comments
More stories...
-
'Death knell' - Tax reform threatens junior stock market
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
THE junior market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) will be devastated if proposed new tax rules are adopted, securities dealers said yesterday. "It's the death knell for the market," said Gary Peart, president of the Jamaica Securities Dealers As ...more
2 comments -
Growth steady, says BOJ
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
THE Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) expects economic growth levels measured during the last three months in 2011 to continue on to March. Yesterday, BOJ governor Brian Wynter said that real GDP grew within the range of one per cent to two per cent dur ...more
0 comments -
Mailpac owner mulls flotation
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
NORBROOK Caribbean Investment Company (NCIC) is seriously considering an initial public offering (IPO) in 2012, says NCIC head Khary Robinson. “The capital markets in Jamaica have evolved significantly in the past two years and have created gr ...more
0 comments -
Grow more ginger!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
SALADA Foods Jamaica Limited is pushing for higher domestic ginger production to get its tea -- which it introduced into the local market last October — overseas. The manufacturer, which for years was focused on coffee products, started an agg ...more
0 comments -
What does your professional image say about you?
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
"There will be time, To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet." — T S Eliot's 'The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock IT is the truth that there are aspects of this world in which we live that are superficial at best. Nevertheless, we al ...more
0 comments -
Lascelles goes for the big chill
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
DESPITE a fall-off in profits in all but one — general insurance — of its business segments during its first quarter and a tough economic climate, Lascelles deMercado is pressing ahead with expansion of its merchan-dising business, which ...more
0 comments -
Protecting brands on social media
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
A brand is the identifier for a business, goods or services. It may be constituted by several elements, including a logo, name, colours, tag-line, jingle or any special image that one would expect customers to associate with the company, its goods or ...more
0 comments -
Put culture in your JEEP, says World Bank
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
A World Bank official has recommended that the Government consider focusing the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP) on ICT and cultural industries on a phased basis. The World Bank's representative for Jamaica (along with Guyana, Suriname ...more
0 comments -
Improve your cash flow with stable dividend stocks
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
RECENTLY a young couple consulted with me about investment options. They were interested in holding US dollar denominated assets and were keen on stocks but had a limited amount to invest. After determining their risk profile and considering their go ...more
0 comments -
Are ‘Butch’ Stewart and Lascelles Chin mad?
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
WHAT do you say about two entrepreneurs who put a combined investment of $3 billion (US$34 million) into an economy that is still facing the headwinds of the global economic recession? Are they seeing connections between the financial, labour, techno ...more
2 comments -
Palace has poor Christmas
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Despite hopes that Christmas would help to boost revenues, Palace Amusement Company failed to generate box office buzz over the holidays. The company lost $8.5 million in its second quarter, October to December, due to increased administrative and d ...more
0 comments -
Dixie Lee challenges KFC
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
A Canadian fast-food franchise will open its doors in Portmore on Saturday, aiming to gobble up shares of a market dominated by KFC. Dixie Lee, known for its fried chicken, is a franchised quick-services restaurant founded in Ontario, Canada in 1964 ...more
0 comments -
Mogul in the making
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Mogul in the Making will return on Friday. If you would like to look at the start-up companies already profiled in the Jamaica Observer please go to: www.jamaicaobserver.com/mogul-in-the-making/ more
0 comments -
Canada fights dirty oil tag
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
TORONTO, Ontario - CANADA has threatened to take Europe to the World Trade Organisation if it singles out the country's oil sands as dirty oil, but officials said Tuesday such action wouldn't affect free trade negotiations with the European Union (EU ...more
0 comments -
Hookers, orgies and the IMF
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
LILLE, France - French police detained former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn for questioning Tuesday over allegations he took part in orgies in Paris and Washington with prostitutes paid for by businessmen. The 62-year-old former Socialist minis ...more
0 comments -
Relief and foreboding
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
ATHENS, Greece — Greeks were torn between relief and foreboding on the news Tuesday that their country has received a new massive bailout — while the aid will protect them from a calamitous default and keep them in the euro bloc, it will ...more
0 comments -
Athens gets €130b
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
BRUSSELS, Belgium — The countries that use the euro pulled Greece back from an imminent and potentially catastrophic default on Tuesday, when they finally stitched together a (euro) 130 billion ($170 billion) rescue they hope will also provide ...more
0 comments -
The rescue
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Greece has been granted a second, (euro) 130 billion ($14.8 trillion) bailout package and a (euro) 107 billion debt relief deal with private creditors, in exchange for tough austerity measures and other concessions. Here are the main points of the d ...more
0 comments -
Eastern Caribbean moving towards greater integration
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Deeper economic union is at the centre of the Eastern Caribbean's attempts to build a platform for sustainable growth, the Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank said on Thursday. But others may need to take a different path, warned Sir Dwig ...more
0 comments -
Gov't suspends $80-million clean-up programme for Ocho Rios
Sunday, February 19, 2012
MINISTER of Tourism and Entertainment Dr Wykeham McNeill has announced the suspension of the $80-million drain cleaning and sidewalk rehabilitation programme for the resort town of Ocho Rios, St Ann, which was announced last August. The minister's a ...more
0 comments -
JNMS eyes rebound in remittances from Cayman
Sunday, February 19, 2012
JN Money Services Limited (JNMS) is cautiously optimistic on remittances to Jamaica from the Cayman Islands. JNMS is the parent company behind the JN Money Transfer and QuikCash Money Transfer remittance brands in that country. Leesa Kow, JNMS gen ...more
0 comments -
Consolidated Bakeries looks to expansion
Sunday, February 19, 2012
CONSOLIDATED Bakeries, headed by Anthony Chang will be going to the Jamaica Junior Stock Exchange in a matter of weeks with the intention of raising funds to grow the business. Speaking with Sunday Finance from the Pegasus Hotel, Chang said: "Stocks ...more
0 comments -
Investing in Corporate Bonds: Spotlight on Bank of America
Sunday, February 19, 2012
AS most investors know, corporate bonds are loan instruments issued by corporate entities to raise funds for varied reasons, including: expansion, working capital requirements and to refinance high cost debt. Corporate bonds appeal to ...more
0 comments -
Nettle and Moss: Bringing hair and skincare to another level
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Entrepreneurship is a risk but with adequate research and planning, it's easy to get others excited about your business, says Nettle and Moss founder Aisha Morgan. Nettle and Moss is a two-year old company that deals in the retail and distribution o ...more
0 comments -
She went back to college, but now wants a refund
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Dear Claudienne I attended The College of Arts Science and Technology (CAST), now UTech, in the 1990s. Now that UTech has opened a Western Campus in Montego Bay, I decided to complete my course and get a degree. However, I was not pleased with h ...more
0 comments -
‘Ignore environmental laws at your own peril’
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Krishna Desai, attorney-at-law at Myers, Fletcher & Gordon (MF&G), takes command during his presentation on “Environmental Law and the liability of company directors, CEOs, and other officers for criminal offences”, at last week&r ...more
0 comments -
No Love for V-Day
Sunday, February 19, 2012
About how much did you spend for Valentine's Day? I don't celebrate Valentine's Day 63.23% $1 - $2,500 18.45% $2,500 - $ 5,000 6.8% $5,000 - $7,500 3.22% $7, ...more
0 comments -
Whitney Houston estate to gain, but questions remain
Sunday, February 19, 2012
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) — Whitney Houston's career is getting a post-mortem boost, but it isn't likely to be as big as the one that enriched the King of Pop's estate after his death. Like the late Michael Jackson, Houston was in the midst ...more
0 comments -
Jamaica must solve its crime problem if it is to attract FDI — Yamaguchi
Friday, February 17, 2012
JAMAICA will find it difficult to attract direct investments from Japan if the island fails to curtail its crime problem, says Japanese ambassador Hiroshi Yamaguchi. According to Yamaguchi, theft and security are two major factors considered by Japa ...more
2 comments -
The case for fiscal stimulus
Friday, February 17, 2012
DURING the period of this recession, one of the fundamental disagreements among economic commentators is how relevant are the teachings of Maynard Keynes. In other words, in a recessionary environment should one increase fiscal spending, in order t ...more
5 comments -
JMMB profits jump by over 100%
Friday, February 17, 2012
Local integrated finance house Jamaica Money Market Brokers (JMMB) put in a sterling financial performance for the nine-month period ended 31 December, 2011. According to its published unaudited financial statements, JMMB's total revenue for the per ...more
0 comments -
The importance of languages in international business
Friday, February 17, 2012
REACHING out to other nations is important in this global environment, said Nadine Boothe-Gooden, managing director of International Business and Language Consulting. To assist in greeting our neighbours, Boothe-Gooden started her business to make c ...more
0 comments -
The Innovators: Jamaica's first business-focused reality TV Show
Friday, February 17, 2012
The Innovators, a business reality TV show launched its inaugural season on Wednesday at the South Beach Cafe. Backed by the Jamaica Observer and Yellow Pages, the show will highlight real life before and after transformations of twelve entrepreneur ...more
0 comments -
Tough times for Cable & Wireless Communications
Friday, February 17, 2012
British telecommunications giant Cable & Wireless Communications (C&WC), the parent company of LIME (Jamaica) is experiencing a degree of turbulence as its operations around the globe continue to register mixed fortunes. Last week, C&WC ...more
0 comments -
REDjet boosting visitor arrivals to Barbados and Guyana
Friday, February 17, 2012
REDJET has had a significant impact on Barbados's visitor arrivals from the Caribbean and Barbados's Tourism Minister Richard Sealy has affirmed government's commitment to supporting the local carrier as a result. Sealy said the decision to throw su ...more
0 comments -
Demystifying the stock exchange could generate millions in new regional inward investment from the Diaspora — St Bernard
Friday, February 17, 2012
ONE of the key outcomes in the upcoming UK Diaspora Business Week from February 26th-31st throughout London and Birmingham, is the demystification of the stock exchange. This is one of the mandates set out by the promoters CENUK (the Caribbean Enterp ...more
0 comments -
Wealth Magazine to go bi-monthly from April
Friday, February 17, 2012
Creative Media and Events bosses Garth Walker and Leighton Davis launched Wealth Magazine in March 2009 at the Fiction lounge with a vision that showcases the best of Jamaican business lifestyle. At the time, the business environment was barely con ...more
0 comments -
Spur Tree Spices sends first shipment to UK
Friday, February 17, 2012
Spur Tree Spices this week shipped its first container of products to the UK, marking the gourmet condiments company's entrance into the second biggest Jamaican diaspora market. The shipment included Spur Tree's 12 different sauces and spices. Among ...more
0 comments -
Jamaica National's new Life Insurance company to target underserved
Friday, February 17, 2012
The new life insurance company to be established by Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) will reach out to underserved communities, says JNBS General Manager Earl Jarrett. The Financial Services Commission granted the organisation a licence last ...more
0 comments -
Germany will not pour money into Greece's "bottomless pit" — Schaeuble
Friday, February 17, 2012
Germany's finance minister warned that Berlin was not prepared to pour money into what he termed a "bottomless pit" in Greece, after eurozone ministers put a new bailout for Athens on hold. "We want to do everything we can to help Greece ... we ca ...more
0 comments -
Zoellick to leave World Bank on June 30
Friday, February 17, 2012
World Bank president Robert Zoellick will leave the job at the end of his five-year term on June 30, the Bank announced Wednesday. No mention was made of his successor, traditionally nominated by the United States. Speculation has focused on US Sec ...more
0 comments -
EU official seeks to calm nerves in Greek spat
Friday, February 17, 2012
The president of the European Commission has struck a conciliatory tone on Greece, a day after politicians in Athens and the rest of Europe traded barbs about the country's efforts to survive its debt crisis. Jose Manuel Barroso said yesterday that ...more
0 comments -
China pledges support to the euro
Friday, February 17, 2012
China's top central banker this week expressed confidence in the euro and pledged to continue buying European sovereign debt, as the Asian giant seeks to shore up support for its biggest trading partner. President Hu Jintao also gave his vote of co ...more
0 comments -
What's the state of your Estate?
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Many people are so focused on trying to make ends meet that they can find little time to think about the requirements of the future. "What's the use of putting aside money for tomorrow if I can't even pay my bills today?" they may say. Even further f ...more
0 comments -
LIME sets three-month deadline
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
CABLE & Wireless, the parent of LIME, has given the Government three months to sort out the regulatory environment before it has to “make a decision” on its future here. Telecommunications minister Phillip Paulwell said he believes h ...more
6 comments -
JPS compensation shorts out
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
JAMAICA Public Service Company (JPS) and National Water Commission (NWC) continue to report high levels of breaches of the guaranteed standards that are supposed to guide the quality of service that they deliver to customers, according to the Office ...more
0 comments -
Tea company plans to float supermarkets
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
JAMAICAN Teas Limited may spin off its retail operations into a separate entity and list it on the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE), according to John Mahfood. The CEO of the tea manufacturer and retail operator said that his ultimate goal was to add a ...more
0 comments -
Taking the stress out of weddings
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
PLANNING a wedding can be stressful, especially if you have no idea who to ask for help. It's that knowledge that drove Andrea Green to start With Ease Catalogue, an online events planning register. With Ease has no physical office of its own, but o ...more
0 comments -
Just protect my flat-screen TV
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
GRACEKENNEDY is looking to launch Jamaica's first micro-insurance product next month. Customers of the conglomerate's Bill Express outlets will be offered coverage of their utility bills against disability, unemployment or death ...more
0 comments -
CUNA changes its structure
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
CUNA Mutual is changing its corporate structure to allow it to raise more capital, the group said on Monday. The new entity, whose name will be revealed tomorrow, will not be limited by the rules for mutual societies. However, other parts of the gr ...more
0 comments -
Honey Bun tastes sweet success
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
HONEY Bun posted pre-tax profits of almost $10 million for its first quarter ended December 31, according to its unaudited financial statements. This is a 98 per cent increase over the profits of the comparable quarter of the previous year. It comes ...more
0 comments -
The secret to invention
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
I have heard many persons bemoan the lack of scientific intuition in our country. Some persons have argued that in order for our country to truly develop, our people must invent and be a part of the process of creating solutions for the problems and ...more
0 comments -
Going up? Tips for rising stars
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
IN corporate life one learns very quickly that it is the 'little things' that count towards improving our performance and making our lives that much easier during those eight hours that we are forced to rub shoulders with our cubicle mates. For sure ...more
0 comments -
Lasco profits up 34 per cent
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
LASCO Group's three listed companies posted a combined net profit of $255.8 million for the third quarter ending December 31, 2011, a 34 per cent increase over the corresponding period a year earlier. But only two of the three entities outperformed ...more
0 comments -
Furniture industry fights importers
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
THE furniture industry is suffering from a "disconnect" between the needs of consumers and what's being manufactured, said Harold Davis, executive director of the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC). The industry has been lagging in rece ...more
0 comments -
American School promises to deliver
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
IT may cost parents in excess of a million dollars per child annually, but the American International School of Kingston (AISK) promises to deliver, in return, the most globally marketable students coming out of high school. "Our students, as Jamaic ...more
0 comments -
Diversify your portfolio with US dollar exposure
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Many investors are looking for a home for their money, and while opportunities exist locally, they should consider some US exposure as they seek to achieve their long term objectives. The value of the US dollar is affected mainly by the supply and d ...more
0 comments -
Profits up at Red Stripe
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Red Stripe's won't complete moving its production of beer destined for the US to North America before April, but the brewer continued to lift its profitability in the domestic market during the last three months of 2011. Higher levels of efficiency ...more
0 comments -
AGI's share value could be listed below its capital base
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Advantage General Insurance Company (AGI) may value its shares at $1 for each dollar of capital it holds in its upcoming initial public offering, unless it pays out a big dividend before going public. A one-to-one market value — the total issu ...more
0 comments -
Jamaica needs many more Barclay Ewarts to drive a manufacturing renaissance
Sunday, February 12, 2012
IN his tribute to Barclay Ewart, his friend, legendary entrepreneur Danny Williams, described the young Barclay Ewart as a modest person, who, despite his outstanding achievements in the field of sports, never let it go to his head. He was however "d ...more
0 comments -
'Thief racked up a $380,000 bill on my credit card'
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Dear Claudienne I got your e-mail address from a friend of mine who suggested that you might be able to help me with my situation. I am a Jamaican currently on a training programme in Canada. My Jamaican Scotia bank credit card was stolen from my ...more
0 comments -
Last house standing
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Eiji Suzuki's home stands firm in the aftermath of the Great East Japanese Earthquake and tsunami that devastated the country on March 11 last year. One may think this would make him a happy man. But not when the house is the only one left standing ...more
0 comments -
Mission Possible
Sunday, February 12, 2012
IF you like action-packed, adrenaline-pumping, nail-biting movies then Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol is the show to watch for 2012. From one scene to the next this movie keeps the viewers on the edge of their seats just begging for more. ...more
0 comments -
Erica Wynter: Helping small businesses deal with the paperwork
Sunday, February 12, 2012
WHILE many start-ups have problems registering and keeping their books up-to-date, one builds its business off those issues. C & E Innovational Services was founded in 2009 by Erica Wynter. The company offers bearer and other business services. ...more
0 comments -
'Get dressed up and corporate mingle'
Sunday, February 12, 2012
With over 12 per cent of the population unemployed and the economy static, it's understandable that a "Corporate Mingle", aimed at putting job-hunters and employers together, would be a hit in Jamaica. Corporate Mingle, initiated by Creative Media a ...more
0 comments -
Cargo airline expands operations from Miami to Montego Bay
Sunday, February 12, 2012
AIRFREIGHT company Exec Direct Aviation Services (EDA) on Friday launched services from the Miami International Airport (MIA) to Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay. The service to Montego Bay is being provided on demand as EDA expands its ...more
0 comments -
POLLS: Did you watch the Super Bowl?
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Yes, but just for the advertisements 6.65% Yes, just for the game itself 11.15% Yes, for both the game and advertisements 29.59% No, I did not watch the Super Bowl. ...more
0 comments -
US on pace for US$1T deficit despite January dip
Sunday, February 12, 2012
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal deficit was lower through the first four months of the budget year than the same period last year. Still, the deficit is expected to top US$1 trillion for the fourth year in a row, putting more pressure on Congress ...more
0 comments -
Greek PM says default would lead to 'chaos'
Sunday, February 12, 2012
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's future in the eurozone came under renewed threat Friday as popular protests again turned violent and dissent grew among its lawmakers after European leaders demanded deeper spending cuts. The country's beleaguere ...more
0 comments -
...Trade deficit widens
Sunday, February 12, 2012
WASHINGTON (AFP) - On the eve of a visit by China's vice president and heir-apparent, the Commerce Department reported Friday that the US trade deficit widened to a six month high, thanks in large part to imports from China. Official data showed t ...more
0 comments -
Key events in the history of Eastman Kodak
Sunday, February 12, 2012
HERE are key events in the history of Eastman Kodak Company, which announced plans Thursday to stop making digital cameras and some other consumer devices: 1880 — George Eastman begins commercial production of dry plates for photography in a r ...more
0 comments -
Spurring growth in the C'bbean
Friday, February 10, 2012
AS the Caribbean region continues to experience lacklustre economic performances resulting in rising unemployment, crime and poverty levels, solutions must be sought to spur growth. Last month, the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for ...more
0 comments -
Columbus Communications makes multibillion-dollar telecoms investment in the region
Friday, February 10, 2012
THE conference, the only C-level meeting for the Caribbean wholesale market, opened with an insightful keynote presentation by Brendan Paddick, Chairman of Columbus Communications, parent company of Flow. In a departure from the norm, the keynote pr ...more
0 comments -
Finance Minister Phillips' very difficult task
Friday, February 10, 2012
AT first glance, Jamaica's current fiscal situation, as revealed by Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips at Wednesday's Jamaica House post-Cabinet press conference, looks significantly worse, or as he put it "disastrously off track", than many expected ...more
4 comments -
Jamaicansmusic.com goes global
Friday, February 10, 2012
NOT many 23-year-olds have an office in Indonesia, despite having no local headquarters and doing much of their business at cafés. Even fewer can claim to be CEO of one of the 15 most popular websites on Facebook, with almost two million fans ...more
0 comments -
Jamaican homeowners facing serious troubles
Friday, February 10, 2012
PRIOR to 2011 foreclosures were a rarity in Jamaica, according to the National Land Agency (NLA), but now the island has seen the rate shoot up by a phenomenal 2,550 per cent The NLA, where foreclosure applications are filed and approved via the reg ...more
0 comments -
How safe is the air you breathe, the surface you touch and the food you eat?
Friday, February 10, 2012
IF you and I go to a restaurant, we each order whatever we want to put into our body... However at that same restaurant, you and I have no choice but to breathe the same air. Recent outbreaks of Legionaries disease has occurred in major hotels aroun ...more
0 comments -
Airlift still high on regional agenda
Friday, February 10, 2012
MINISTERS of tourism and civil aviation across the Eastern Caribbean met yesterday in St Vincent to discuss and devise strategic solutions to tourism and aviation issues and challenges currently confronting the sub-region. This meeting follows a re ...more
0 comments -
All That Jazz!
Friday, February 10, 2012
Brian Pengelley (right), sales director at Red Stripe, enjoys the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival with Chris Berry at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium in Trelawny last weekend. more
0 comments -
Financial Education
Friday, February 10, 2012
Professor Evan Duggan (far right), Executive Director of the Mona School of Business, UWI, is pleased to welcome Bruce Bowen (far left), CEO, Scotiabank Jamaica Ltd/ President, Jamaica Bankers Association to the opening ceremony of the Caribbean Exe ...more
0 comments -
'LESS THAN JUNK': S&P lowers Belize's credit rating deeper
Friday, February 10, 2012
ONE of the leading international credit rating agencies has downgraded Belize's credit status a notch deeper into junk territory, despite giving an improved outlook on the economy. The Wall Street-based Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said on ...more
0 comments -
Barbados consortium wins regional ferry contract
Friday, February 10, 2012
THE Barbados-based Fast Caribbean Limited has been selected to manage a regional ferry service scheduled to come on stream this year, Trinidad's Transport Minister Devant Maharaj has announced. Initially, the ferry will carry passengers, vehicles a ...more
0 comments -
Montserrat 'ready' for geothermal energy developers
Friday, February 10, 2012
Montserrat is set to dig deeper towards an economic windfall it is hoping to gain by exploiting geothermal energy from the active volcano that has laid waste to two-thirds of the island. The British Leeward Island territory has invited expressions o ...more
0 comments -
Working group set up to study Caricom associate membership
Friday, February 10, 2012
THE Caribbean Community (Caricom) Council of Ministers has agreed to establish a working group to look at issues pertaining to associate membership of Caricom. At its one-day meeting at the Caricom Secretariat's Georgetown, Guyana headquarters on Tu ...more
0 comments -
'Republic' records TT$272-million profit
Friday, February 10, 2012
TRINIDAD & Tobago's Republic Bank Group has recorded increased profits for the first quarter of its financial year. For the first quarter ended December 31, 2011, the bank said it posted a profit attributable to shareholders of TT$272 million. ...more
0 comments -
ManU third in football money league behind Spanish giants Real and Barca
Friday, February 10, 2012
MANCHESTER United continue to lead the way as the highest-earning Premier League club, but remain behind Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona in football's rich list. According to the 2012 Deloitte Football Money League, published today, six of ...more
0 comments -
BMW aims for top spot in 2012 as luxury sales soar
Friday, February 10, 2012
BMW (BMWG.DE) posted record car sales for 2011 and forecast that a boom in luxury cars would keep it ahead of rivals this year as the world's biggest maker of premium cars enjoys strong demand from China and the United States. The Munich-based compa ...more
0 comments -
Toyota's net income drops by over 50 per cent
Friday, February 10, 2012
TOYOTA Motor Corporation (TMC) earlier this week announced financial results for the nine months ended December 31, 2011. On a consolidated basis, net revenues for the nine months totalled 12,881.1 billion yen, a decrease of 10.2 per cent compared ...more
0 comments -
The Art and Science of Making Money
Thursday, February 09, 2012
Despite the developments in technology and differences in trends that emerge over time, there is one financial certainty that will probably remain constant. Most persons - regardless of age, gender, education, nationality, status or creed - will expr ...more
0 comments -
Move over movie buffs
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
PALACE Amusement Company and SportsMax have launched islandwide screenings of live sports events, a prospect that is expected to bolster weakened movie attendance. The initiative, called "SportsMax Cine Zone" kicked off on Sunday, with an invitation ...more
0 comments -
MJ Body Concept Spa proved you have to keep trying
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
WITH just over two years in operation, MJ Body Concept Spa is committed to "making a beautiful difference" in the lives of its many clients, said Juliet Thompson, the business' managing director. Thompson has been in the business of beauty treatment ...more
0 comments -
A man of his word: Mayer Matalon, 1922 - 2012
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Mayer Matalon was well known for his success as a private businessman. With his brothers, Zackie, Aaron, Moses, Eli, Owen, and Vernon, he changed the face of Jamaican business through a massive expansion of the ICD group and its housing company, WIHC ...more
1 comments -
Oil explorer gets time to find partner
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
The Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) has given Rainville Energy four more months to get an investment partner on board its oil exploration work on three blocks offshore Jamaica. In a press release on Monday, Sagres Energy, the parent of Rainvi ...more
0 comments -
Africa, the new frontier for GK
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
IN its thrust to become a global consumer group, GraceKennedy (GK) plans to earn at least 15 per cent of its revenue from Africa in another decade. Yesterday, GK Group CEO Don Wehby said the conglomerate is also targeting North America and Europe to ...more
0 comments -
UNESCO boosts tourism at ancient shrines
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
JUST how much is a World Heritage Site registration worth? For one Japanese rural region hard hit by last year's earthquake and tsunami, the answer is hundreds of thousands of tourists and hundreds of new jobs. A little more than three months after ...more
0 comments -
Is your CEO still on the company’s bridge
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Before January 13 and the tragic accident that sank one of Italy's biggest cruise ship, the Costa Concordia, the name Francesco Schettino, was perhaps not very well-known. Schettino aka 'Captain Coward' was that ship's skipper and is today, ignominio ...more
0 comments -
Keeping the playing field level
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
COMPETITION is a fundamental cornerstone of market economies. It not only fosters economic efficiency, but also promotes consumer welfare and protection. With the opening up of sectors such as telecommunications and the introduction of new players i ...more
0 comments -
A case for gold and silver
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
With the current global economy in disarray, investors are wondering what they can invest in that will generate returns and protect their wealth. With countries such as Greece, Italy and Spain all facing debt problems, there is definitely a palpable ...more
0 comments -
For Facebook 'Hacker Way' is way of life
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
NEW YORK, USA — Facebook's billionaire CEO Mark Zuckerberg calls himself a hacker. For most people, that word means something malicious — shady criminals who listen in on private voicemails, or anonymous villains who cripple websites and ...more
0 comments -
Jobs lookalike angel ad 'disrespectful'
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
TAIPEI,Taiwan — A Taiwanese television commercial featuring a Steve Jobs look-alike angel complete with white wings and a halo has caused uproar, with critics saying it is disrespectful towards Apple's late founder. The commercial shows well-k ...more
0 comments -
'Nationalising South Africa's mines not a viable option'
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
CAPE TOWN, South Africa - Nationalising South Africa's mines is not a viable option for the country's key sector and has been ruled out by the ruling party, the mines minister said yesterday, in a move welcomed by industry. "We have consistently mai ...more
0 comments -
Corporate profits aren't what they seem
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
NEW YORK, USA — Is the great profit engine of corporate America running out of steam? While other parts of the economy struggled the past two years, large companies managed to rack up higher profits quarter after quarter. Now reality is catchi ...more
0 comments -
Threats from Iran push up oil prices
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
NEW YORK, USA — Oil prices climbed above US$98 ($8,408) per barrel yesterday after Iran again threatened to cut off supplies to Europe. Iranian lawmakers are pushing a plan to halt crude exports crude to Europe before the European Union begins ...more
0 comments -
Yum Brands posts 30% profit rise
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — Yum Brands Inc, owner of the Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC fast-food chains, said Monday that its fourth-quarter profit rose 30 per cent with a recipe of strong overseas growth mixed with a sales turnaround at Pizza Hut in ...more
0 comments -
China forges Arab ties, hedging bets in the Gulf
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — To celebrate Chinese New Year last month, Dubai's swankiest hotel bathed its sail-shaped facade in red lighting accented with an image of a twisting golden dragon. The gesture by the US$2,300 ($98,490)-a-night Bur ...more
0 comments -
UBS's profit slide in fallout from rogue trader
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
GENEVA, Switzerland — Switzerland's biggest bank UBS AG saw its profits slide by 76 per cent in the fourth quarter, in a further sign that a US$2 billion ($171.6 billion) rogue trading scandal last year has dented business at a time of economic ...more
0 comments -
BP back in black with a bang
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
LONDON, England — BP returned to profit with a bang last year, posting net earnings of US$23.9 billion ($2 trillion) yesterday as the British energy giant prepares for a criminal trial over the US Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster. BP announce ...more
0 comments -
Disney profits up
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Sa-Nye, 1, and Amya, 3 (only first name provided) pose with Mickey Mouse outside The Disney Soda Fountain & Studio Store on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. Walt Disney Co posted a US$1.46 billion ($125.3 billion) net profit for its first quar ...more
0 comments -
Toyota lifts profit forecast as disaster woes fade
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
TOKYO, Japan — Toyota's quarterly profit slid 13.5 per cent on production setbacks caused by last year's tsunami disaster and the flooding in Thailand, but Japan's top automaker raised its annual earnings forecast, saying a recovery is on track ...more
0 comments -
Glencore, Xstrata agree to merger
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
LONDON, England — ANGLO-SWISS mining group Xstrata PLC announced plans yesterday to merge with commodities trading giant Glencore International PLC in a deal that will create the world's fourth largest natural resources group. The combined com ...more
0 comments -
Greeks to brief eurozone on tentative debt deal
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
A spokesman for Greece's private creditors says Greek Premier Lucas Papademos will soon tell eurozone finance ministers the contents of a deal to reduce the country's massive debt. Frank Vogl said represen-tatives of the Institute of International F ...more
0 comments -
Rating Agency calls for multilateral support
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
FITCH Ratings Agency said on Monday that it expects Jamaica's current account deficit to ease this year but warned that multilateral support is needed. Jamaica's current account deficit — the amount of foreign exchange Jamaica spends above the ...more
0 comments -
Coca-Cola adjusted results beat Street
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
NEW YORK, USA — Coca-Cola reported an effervescent fourth quarter yesterday, as the company sold more of its drinks globally and its earnings beat analyst expectations. Coca-Cola is benefiting from raising prices in North America, where consum ...more
0 comments -
Can Jamaica get down to business?
Sunday, February 05, 2012
IT is too early to describe the new government as "slow out of the blocks", as it is the first 100 days that is used as the international benchmark to assess whether a new ministerial team has "hit the ground running". The yardstick in assessing the ...more
0 comments -
Shhh! This boutique's a secret
Sunday, February 05, 2012
Shhh Boutique boast that it is "where the best fashions are kept secret". But the store itself is also somewhat hidden, tucked away off Hope Road and its 24-hour traffic. "Prior to opening the store, I operated as a personal shopping stylist and wen ...more
3 comments -
Building brand Jamaica in Japan
Sunday, February 05, 2012
Less than a ten-minute drive from the Embassy of Jamaica in Tokyo, Ambassador Claudia Barnes and I sit down to dine at arguably the finest Jamaican restaurant in the country. "I will have the usual, and I brought a guest from Jamaica — a journ ...more
3 comments -
Trusting in units
Sunday, February 05, 2012
FANCY dabbling in the stock market but not sure how to go about it? One way to get your feet wet is to pool your money with the savings of thousands of other people in a unit trust. Unit trusts enable investors of all types to put their savings in a ...more
0 comments -
Help me get my son back
Sunday, February 05, 2012
Dear Claudienne On June 14, 2010, my three-year-old son who was born in Britain was abducted by his father from my home in rural St Catherine. I had lived with him in England for a while, but ended the relationship with the father prior to the bir ...more
0 comments -
After IPO, Facebook will face new profit pressures
Sunday, February 05, 2012
California, USA — For all the huge numbers in Facebook's IPO papers, a surprisingly small figure stands out: US$4.39 ($376.44), the amount the site generated per user last year. It's one of the company's major challenges because the total is p ...more
0 comments -
National Bakery's first Bold Ones graduate
Sunday, February 05, 2012
The eleven graduates of National Bakery's first Bold Ones campaign say it has helped them brand awareness, increase respect and market penetration, and gain local and international contracts. National's chairman, Butch Hendrickson, introduced the $2 ...more
0 comments -
Ex-Stanford exec tells jurors bank's profits faked
Sunday, February 05, 2012
TEXAS, USA — Jailed financier R Allen Stanford helped fake profit numbers for his Caribbean bank and funnel millions of dollars of depositor funds to a secret Swiss bank account used to pay for personal expenses, bribes to regulators and employ ...more
0 comments -
HP awards new CEO with US$16.5m pay package
Sunday, February 05, 2012
CALIFORNIA, USA — Hewlett-Packard Co ushered in Meg Whitman as its CEO with a US$16.5 million ($1.4 billion) compensation package that hinges on the one-time politician's ability to lift the stumbling technology company's stock price during the ...more
0 comments -
eMedia Interactive launches online TV in Jamaica — Part II
Friday, February 03, 2012
HAVING raised US$350,000 via a private placement with Pan Caribbean Financial Services to fund its expansion and launch of iVutv.com online TV, eMedia Interactive has announced a stellar six-member board to guide its 25-year-old President and CEO Tyr ...more
0 comments -
Jamaica's options diminishing
Friday, February 03, 2012
THIS is one time when I hate to say "I told you so" as it is in relation to Jamaica's economy. This is because it always seems as if the appropriate prediction to make is that implemented policies will not work and will cause our economic situation ...more
3 comments -
Making Jamaica's creative industries an engine for growth
Friday, February 03, 2012
With unemployment in Jamaica over 12 per cent, a contraction of the economy and anaemic aggregate demand, Jamaica must now look to its strengths and advantages. The country has undoubtedly exhibited a penchant for the creative industries, producing l ...more
0 comments -
Glad Helpers can find you the right helper for your home
Friday, February 03, 2012
'It's hard to find good help these days'. At least that's what Angelica Barrett thought when she started Glad Helpers, a cleaning service, last October. With a full-time job and a family to take care of, lousy domestic assistance was one frustration ...more
1 comments -
MoBay to host dental convention
Friday, February 03, 2012
MORE than 300 dental professionals are expected to attend the annual Jamaica Dental Association (JDA) Convention scheduled for the Iberostar Rose Hall Beach and Spa Resort, Montego Bay, February 14-18, 2012. This highly anticipated convention provid ...more
0 comments -
UK tax threatens Caribbean tourism
Friday, February 03, 2012
The Caribbean is the most tourism-dependent region in the world - but a big drop in visitor numbers is being blamed on Britain's air passenger duty. The region has seen a 16 per cent drop in arrivals from the UK over the last five years which has ha ...more
0 comments -
Air Jamaica discontinues Kingston-Miami route
Friday, February 03, 2012
Air Jamaica is pulling out of its Kingston to Miami, Florida route, two months after it returned to the gateway in the United States. Monday was the airline's last day in Miami. Efforts to book seats from Norman Manley International in Jamaica to t ...more
0 comments -
Toyota 'regrets' disruption in Caribbean supplies
Friday, February 03, 2012
Tokyo, JAPAN — Toyota Motor Corporation says supplies to the region suffered last year due to the earthquake and tsunami which damaged factories in Japan. "At least for two weeks after (March 11) disaster, all factory operations stopped, and e ...more
0 comments
RSS Feeds
