West meets East

From InternetRetailer.com

West meets East

Big challenges aren’t preventing U.S. companies from staking a claim in China, now the world’s largest national e-commerce market, according to the newly published China 500. They’re diving into a market that is exploding, but that’s also very different from online retailing in the U.S.

Mark Brohan
Research Director

China’s e-commerce market is big, fragmented and dominated by a single marketplace operator that accounts for about 80% of all online retailing transactions. But none of that is preventing U.S. companies from staking a claim in China, which some analysts believe will soon be the world’s largest national e-commerce market.

In fact many U.S. retail companies and consumer brand manufacturers are beginning to attract customers and generate sales, on their own e-commerce sites or on China’s big online shopping malls, or both, according to data published in Internet Retailer's 2014 China 500. In fact the data on U.S. web merchants selling online in China reveals that it isn’t only the biggest names in U.S. retailing building a base in China, such as Amazon.com (No. 4 in the China 500) and Apple (No. 12). Other U.S. companies such as Coach, No. 488 in the China 500, also are beginning to sell successfully online in China.

Overall the 30 U.S. companies ranked in the China 500 grew their combined web sales in China 36.7% to $5.64 billion in 2013. That total accounted for about 7.7% of all combined China 500 sales of $73.58 billion.

The biggest U.S. merchant ranked in the China 500 was Amazon.com, which grew its Chinese web sales 38% to an Internet Retailer-estimated $3.0 billion in 2013. The fastest-growing web merchant among U.S. China 500 companies was online computer and consumer electronics retailer Newegg Inc., which grew its sales in China in 2013 by 66% to an Internet Retailer-estimated $664 million. Newegg has been selling online in China since building a base in 2003.

Despite such growth, retailers from the U.S. and elsewhere are finding that China is a complicated market, but one that is big and getting bigger. The number of online shoppers in China has grown by 125% from 108 million Internet users who made at least one online purchase over 12 months in 2011 to 242 million in 2012, says the China Internet Network Information Center, a government-sanctioned research organization. That helped fuel 42% growth in China’s e-retail sales in 2013 to $305.74 billion, from $215.31 billion in the prior year, Beijing Internet research firm iResearch estimates.

Read more from InternetRetailer.com >>

A New Company. A New Opportunity. A New You. with JR Ridinger 2014

JR Ridinger, CEO of Market America/Shop.com, pours his heart out to to more than 20,000 Unfranchise Owners at the recent Market America World Conference in Miami. People would pay thousands to listen to JR. You are getting  this CEO's talk for free. Jamie Foxx is at the front row seat absorbing it all.

How To Lower Your Blood Pressure: Scientists Advise Going Vegetarian

From HuffPost Lifestyle

How To Lower Your Blood Pressure: Scientists Advise Going Vegetarian
The Huffington Post UK  |  Posted: 25/02/2014

Vegetarians tend to have lower blood pressure, but with medical opinion split over why that may be, a Japanese research team undertook a study to find out why.

They found that giving up meat can lead to falls in blood pressure similar to losing 5kg in weight or going on a low-sodium diet.

"The diet achieves around half the drop expected from prescription drugs," reported the Mail Online.

The researchers looked at the findings of seven clinical trials - which included 311 participants - and 32 observational studies (looking at 21,604 participants).

A vegetarian diet was defined as excluding or rarely including meat, but including dairy products, eggs and fish.

Medical News Today reported: "The researchers measured the difference in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) - the unit blood pressure is measured in - between participants who followed a vegetarian diet and participants who followed an omnivorous diet. In terms of systolic blood pressure (the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats), the researchers found that the blood pressure of vegetarians was 4.8 mm Hg lower overall than omnivores in clinical trials and 6.9 mm Hg lower in observational studies.

"In terms of diastolic blood pressure (the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats), the researchers found that the blood pressure of those following a vegetarian diet overall was 2.2 mm Hg lower in clinical trials and 4.7 mm Hg lower in observational studies."

Read more from HuffPost Lifestyle >>

Siddharthan Chandran: Can the damaged brain repair itself?

The video below has nothing to do with wealth but everything to do with health. It will be a good thing once scientists are able to regenerate/repair damaged brain cells. Dr Chandran presents a fascinating talk. Having financial freedom coupled with time independence allows one the luxury of attending these fascinating TED talks. More significantly, having wealth affords one better health care. And if one feels generous, use your wealth to assist others towards better health care. It is a given, you can't give what you do not have.

Are You Under Constant Pressure from your Boss?

We all have been there and know the drill - a boss that tries to push you to the limit, including working long hours. When you have a boss like this, have you tried to sneak out without getting noticed?

You go to work early and expect to leave at 5:00PM but your boss is still working. You waited awhile and he continues to work. Now what do you do?

Increasingly, managers are working longer hours and expect everyone else to do the same. Welcome to the new work order!

Read below an article regarding long work hours from the WSJ.com

When the Boss Works Long Hours, Must We All?
How to Convey That You Are Working Hard Without Pulling All-Nighters
Feb. 18, 2014

The problem: Every night, your workaholic boss is still glued to the computer when you need to leave. How to go home without looking like a slacker?

Should you sneak out, hoping to avoid a six o'clock showdown in the hall? Guiltily apologize, promising to be on email all night? Or just walk straight toward the door in the most professional way you can?

Many hard-working employees have an even harder-working boss who toils late into the night. Career coaches and employees who have been there say the first priority should be conveying that you are still working hard—and good at your job. That requires communicating clearly and frequently about your progress and results. Ideally, you want to figure out what the boss really needs and deliver it consistently enough that your hours become a non-issue.

Many employees assume managers value people for working day and night, and workplace trends support that belief: Two-thirds of workers are putting in much longer hours on the job than five years ago, according to a poll of 325 employees last fall by Right Management, Milwaukee, a talent and career-management company.

Read more from WSJ.com >>

The Fed’s Actions in 2008: What the Transcripts Reveal

The New York Times article on February 21, 2014 reads "Fed Misread Crisis in 2008, Records Show."
It talks about how the FED had no clue the economy was already in recession and to events leading up to the Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy in early 2008.

The Fed’s Actions in 2008: What the Transcripts Reveal
FEB. 21, 2014

On Friday, the Federal Reserve released the transcripts of the 2008 meetings of its Federal Open Market Committee, which sets monetary policy. The transcripts provide a detailed account of some of the Fed's key decisions during that crisis year. Here is a look at the fuller picture that the documents have provided.  Related Article »

JANUARY – FEBRUARY
The Gathering Storm
Federal Reserve officials are unaware in January 2008 that the economy has already entered a recession. But the Fed's chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, and his closest advisers are feeling nervous. They worry that the Fed's actions at the end of 2007 have been insufficient, and that tumbling stock prices represent the start of a broader pullback in investment.


Jan. 9
EMERGENCY MEETING  Fed officials conclude in a 5 p.m. conference call that “substantial additional policy easing in the near term might well be necessary.”
Both Mr. Bernanke and Ms. Yellen voice pessimism in the conference call.

MR. BERNANKE: “I think there are a lot of indications that we may soon be in a recession. I think a garden-variety recession is an acceptable risk, but I am also concerned that such a downturn might morph into something more serious.”  View Transcript »

Others, like Richard Fisher of the Dallas Fed, are more bullish.
MR. FISHER: "While there are tales of woe, none of the 30 C.E.O.s to whom I talked, outside of housing, see the economy trending into negative territory. They see slower growth. Some of them see much slower growth. None of them at this juncture — the cover of Newsweek notwithstanding, a great contra-indicator, which by the way shows ‘the road to recession’ on the issue that is about to come out — see us going into recession.”

Jan. 11
Bank of America announces it will buy the nation's largest mortgage lender, Countrywide Financial, for just $4 billion.

Jan. 21
EMERGENCY MEETING  At 6 p.m. on Martin Luther King's Birthday, Fed officials decide they can't wait any longer to cut interest rates. The next day the Fed announces the biggest interest rate reduction in more than two decades, temporarily halting the stock market's slide. The benchmark rate is cut 75 basis points, to 3.5 percent.

Early in 2008, as signs of crisis are building, Janet L. Yellen scolds the other members of the Open Market Committee, seeking to get them to recognize that they have not done enough.

Read more The Fed’s Actions in 2008: What the Transcripts Reveal >>

Just Released: Who’s Borrowing Now? The Young and the Riskless!

From the Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Just Released: Who’s Borrowing Now? The Young and the Riskless!
Andrew Haughwout, Donghoon Lee, Wilbert van der Klaauw, and David Yun

According to today’s release of the New York Fed’s 2013:Q4 Household Debt and Credit Report, aggregate consumer debt increased by $241 billion in the fourth quarter, the largest quarter-to-quarter increase since 2007. More importantly, between 2012:Q4 and 2013:Q4, total household debt rose $180 billion, marking the first four-quarter increase in outstanding debt since 2008. As net household borrowing resumes, it is interesting to see who is driving these balance changes, and to compare some of today’s patterns with those of the boom period.

    The next two charts show contributions to changes in debt balances by borrower age, first when household credit was expanding rapidly in 2006, and then in 2013. For each age group, the charts show the percentage change in aggregate debt outstanding for each type. Thus, summing the numbers for a given loan type produces the overall percentage growth for that type over the relevant four-quarter period.




Read more from Federal Reserve Bank of New York >>

Wal-Mart grows global web sales 30% in 2013 and projects similar growth this year

Wal-Mart is the world's biggest retailer. Now they have their sight on e-tailing - so watch out Amazon - the Wal-Mart giant is awakened!

If you have not checked out Market America / Shop.com, now is the time, as it is not a matter of when the whole world will shop online but why you are not benefiting from this explosion of online shopping. Why remain a spectator when you can be a big beneficiary of online spending!

Why continue to be just a casual internet user when you can be an internet mogul! With Market America, you are never alone, as everyone is eager to help each other succeed.

Read below Wal-Mart's Global Web presence from InternetRetailer.com >>

Wal-Mart grows global web sales 30% in 2013 and projects similar growth this year

Online sales topped $10 billion in the just-concluded fiscal year and will reach $13 billion this year, the big retail chain reported today. In Canada, web sales grew 145% in the fourth quarter.

Don Davis
Editor in Chief

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer by sales, increased its online sales by more than 30% in its last fiscal year to more than $10 billion and projects more than $13 billion in web sales this year, the company reported today.

Wal-Mart, already No. 4 in the 2013 Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, could challenge for the No. 2 spot held by Staples Inc., which reported $10.3 billion in 2012 online sales. Apple Inc. is No. 3, and Amazon.com Inc. is No. 1 in the Top 500.

E-commerce was a bright spot in Wal-Mart’s fiscal fourth quarter, which ended Jan. 31, 2014. Store sales during the period were dampened by harsh weather last month and cutbacks in the U.S. government’s food stamp program that hurt grocery sales. Even with web sales contributing 30 basis points, or 0.3%, to U.S. comparable-store sales in the fiscal fourth quarter, Wal-Mart’s U.S. same-store sales declined 0.4%.

Web sales were also a highlight in Canada, where web sales grew 145% in the fourth quarter, the company said.

It's official: China is world's top consumer of gold

From Yahoo Finance

It's official: China is world's top consumer of gold

By Ansuya Harjani | CNBC – Tue, Feb 18, 2014

China officially overtook India as the world's largest consumer of gold in 2013, according to the World Gold Council (WGC), in a year that saw overall demand for bullion slump 15 percent owing to heavy exchange traded fund (ETF) selling.

Chinese consumer demand - which includes jewelry, bars and coins - rose 32 percent on year to a record 1,066 tonnes in 2013. Indian consumers, by comparison, bought 975 tonnes - a 13 percent rise from the previous year, the latest WGC Gold Demand Trends report published on Tuesday showed. Globally, consumer demand climbed 21 percent on year, totaling 3,864 tonnes.

"Demand for gold in China set a remarkable new record...The impact on the Chinese gold industry of the extraordinary growth in 2013 demand has been marked, with significant growth in both manufacturing and retail network capacity," the WGC, an industry body representing gold miners, wrote.

While data from recent quarters has shown China extending its lead as the top gold consumer, data for the full year confirms this.

Read more from Yahoo Finance >>

E-retail rolls in 2013

From Internet Retailer

E-retail rolls in 2013

E-commerce spending increases nearly 17% in 2013, and 16% in the fourth quarter of last year, the U.S. Commerce Department says.

Online shoppers in the United States spent $69.2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2013, up 16.1% from approximately $59.6 billion for the fourth quarter of 2012, according to figures released today by the U.S. Commerce Department. Total retail sales, meanwhile, increased 3.8% year over year.

E-commerce sales accounted for 6.0% of total retail sales in the fourth quarter, compared with 5.4% for the same period on 2012, according to the Commerce Department.

For the full year 2013, e-commerce sales reached $262.51 billion, up 16.9% from the previous year, according to the department’s seasonally adjusted figures. By comparison, total retail sales increased 4.2% year over year in 2013.

E-commerce sales in 2013 accounted for 5.8% of total retail sales, up from 5.2% for 2012.

E-commerce as a percentage of total retail sales excluding foodservice—mainly restaurant and bar sales—along with sales of autos and fuel—products not commonly bought online—stood at 6.4% for the fourth quarter, up from 5.9% from the third quarter of 2013 and 5.3% for the fourth quarter of 2014.

That e-commerce percentage stood at 8.8% for the full year 2013.

Read more from Internet Retailer >>

Market America 2014 World Conference Highlights

The energy at the 2014 Market America World Conference in Miami, with more than 20,000 entrepreneurs attending, was simply contagious!

A Day in the Life: Pam & Tony Bowling, 2014 Jerry Siciliano Award Recipients

"We often tell people that our story is about going to from debt and desperation to peace and prosperity. To this day, that story remains the same. We have been blessed! Sometimes our family will ask, “Why don’t you retire?” Our answer always is, “If you had a gold mine in your backyard would you stop digging for gold just because you could stop, or would you keep digging and share it with others?” That’s what we do and why we do it. Besides, what we do doesn’t feel like work!"


From Market America Blog

A Day in the Life: Pam & Tony Bowling, 2014 Jerry Siciliano Award Recipients
February 12, 2014

We’re so honored to share with you “A Day in the Life” of the 2014 Jerry Siciliano Award recipients, Pam and Tony Bowling! Throughout their years with Market America, Pam and Tony have demonstrated what it means to “lead by example” while maintaining unparalleled commitment to our company and core values. So, without further ado, we present to you “A Day in the Life” of Pam and Tony Bowling!

Before we talk about what a day in your life is like, could you talk a little about what being the recipients of the 2014 Jerry Siciliano Award means to you?

Wow!!!! That would be a total understatement of the magnitude of emotions we are feeling since winning the Jerry Siciliano award. To feel all the love expressed to us, all the accolades, and congratulatory notes in all of our social media streams has been totally overwhelming to us. The words others shared with us have touched our hearts forever! It is a humbling feeling to know that you could touch someone’s life in a positive way, much less standing in front of your MA family and being honored in such a magnificent way. No words can really express our feelings. It is so surreal to us.

You have heard “you don’t know what you don’t know, and you don’t know that you don’t know it!” This is really true here. We had no idea how our actions over the years had helped others in the process. JR always told us to run up the mountain of success and the right people will follow. We have been blessed to bring a lot of great people along with us.

Read more from Market America Blog >>

Millionaires Panel | Jim Winkler

Market America held its annual World Conference in Miami this past weekend from January 6 - 8.

Below is a panel with 4 Market America old timers who are millionaires and 4 new distributors who are on their way to become millionaires.

These 5 Places Have Mastered The Art Of Sleep

From Huffington Post

These 5 Places Have Mastered The Art Of Sleep
Posted: 02/07/2014

Both science and general public opinion are starting to wake up to the importance of sleep in maintaining health, well-being and productivity. We know that sleep deprivation not only contributes to serious health hazards, but also costs American corporations an estimated $63.2 billion a year in lost productivity.

And yet, nearly half of Americans are still getting fewer than the recommended seven or more hours of sleep per night, according to a recent Gallup report.

But some places in the world are prioritizing sleep on a large scale -- and they can serve as a role model for the rest of us.

Here are some of the world's best places for sleep.

Bad Kissingen, Germany

The town of Bad Kissingen, Germany is making a move for its residents to return to the natural sleep cycles that elude many of us living in a constantly-connected digital world. A recent Atlantic article, "The Town That's Building Life Around Sleep," put a spotlight on the small, Bavarian spa town's efforts to help its 20,000 inhabitants get back to their body's natural sleep cycles by taking measures to implement the principles of "chronobiology" into their lives.

The town's undertaking, currently still in its early stages, involves creating an online database with all the citizens' chronotype, that is, the internal clock that determines whether you're an early bird or a night owl, which is calculated by determining your midpoint of sleep. Based on the chronotype data, the town will be able to create measures to accommodate individuals' sleep needs, such as adjusting the start times of local schools, workplaces and businesses.

"In a hypothetical future world where Bad Kissingen succeeds in letting all of its citizens and visitors live out their chronotypes, the societal benefits would be huge. The town as a whole would be more creative, happier, and more alert," Julie Beck writes in The Atlantic. "Social interaction would improve, as would the population’s ability to problem-solve. Chronically tired people often struggle with obesity, immune suppression, and mental illness, so the town’s overall health -- both mental and physical -- would improve."

Read the full Atlantic article here.

Tokyo, Japan

Ikaria, Greece

Mexico

Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Read more about these other sleep places from Huffington Post >>

An 18-Minute Plan for Managing Your Day

From Harvard Business Review

An 18-Minute Plan for Managing Your Day
by Peter Bregman  |   July 20, 2009

Yesterday started with the best of intentions. I walked into my office in the morning with a vague sense of what I wanted to accomplish. Then I sat down, turned on my computer, and checked my email. Two hours later, after fighting several fires, solving other people’s problems, and dealing with whatever happened to be thrown at me through my computer and phone, I could hardly remember what I had set out to accomplish when I first turned on my computer. I’d been ambushed. And I know better.

When I teach time management, I always start with the same question: How many of you have too much time and not enough to do in it? In ten years, no one has ever raised a hand.

That means we start every day knowing we’re not going to get it all done. So how we spend our time is a key strategic decision. That’s why it’s a good idea to create a to do list and an ignore list. The hardest attention to focus is our own.

But even with those lists, the challenge, as always, is execution. How can you stick to a plan when so many things threaten to derail it? How can you focus on a few important things when so many things require your attention?

We need a trick.

Read more from Harvard Business Review >>

Six Ways to Refuel Your Energy Every Day

From Harvard Business Review

Six Ways to Refuel Your Energy Every Day
by Tony Schwartz  |  December 13, 2010

Are you working longer hours, attending more meetings, taking shorter vacations, answering more emails and eating lunch at your desk, if you eat lunch at all?

Does demand in your life just keep getting higher, so you’re struggling more and more just to keep up? Are you utterly sick of hearing the phrase “do more with less?” Does the word “unsustainable” sound about right?

Human beings aren’t meant to operate like computers — at high speeds, continuously, for long periods of time. We’re designed to be rhythmic, and to intermittently renew. Here are the six strategies we’ve found work best:

1. Make sufficient sleep your highest priority.

Far too many of us buy into the myth that one hour less of sleep allows us one more of productivity. In fact, even very small amounts of sleep deprivation significantly undermine capacity for focus, analytic thinking and creativity.

The research is clear: more than 95 per cent of us require seven to eight hours of sleep in order to be fully rested, and for our brains to optimally embed new learning. Great performers, ranging from musicians to athletes, often get even more than 8 hours.  -------------->>>

2. Take a renewal break at least every ninety minutes.

3. Keep a running list of everything — literally everything — that you want or need to do.

4. Run up your heart rate or take a nap in the early afternoon.

5. Practice appreciation — and savoring.

6. Develop a transition ritual between work and home.

Read more from Harvard Business Review >>

The Middle Class Is Steadily Eroding. Just Ask the Business World

From NYTimes.com

The Middle Class Is Steadily Eroding. Just Ask the Business World.
By NELSON D. SCHWARTZ | FEB. 2, 2014

In Manhattan, the upscale clothing retailer Barneys will replace the bankrupt discounter Loehmann’s, whose Chelsea store closes in a few weeks. Across the country, Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants are struggling, while fine-dining chains like Capital Grille are thriving. And at General Electric, the increase in demand for high-end dishwashers and refrigerators dwarfs sales growth of mass-market models.

As politicians and pundits in Washington continue to spar over whether economic inequality is in fact deepening, in corporate America there really is no debate at all. The post-recession reality is that the customer base for businesses that appeal to the middle class is shrinking as the top tier pulls even further away.

If there is any doubt, the speed at which companies are adapting to the new consumer landscape serves as very convincing evidence. Within top consulting firms and among Wall Street analysts, the shift is being described with a frankness more often associated with left-wing academics than business experts.

“Those consumers who have capital like real estate and stocks and are in the top 20 percent are feeling pretty good,” said John G. Maxwell, head of the global retail and consumer practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Read more from NYTimes.com .>>

Why Copper Prices Are Collapsing

From ProfitConfidential.com

Why Copper Prices Are Collapsing
~ by Michael Lombardi, MBA

Copper prices are collapsing, a sign that manufacturing activity in the global economy is slowing.

The chart below shows copper prices are down more than five percent so far this year. Notice the steep decline in copper prices starting this January.

Copper is a major commodity used as a material ingredient in a wide variety of manufactured goods. If copper prices are declining, which means demand is falling, we get an early indication that manufacturers are producing less because customer demand is soft.

At the same time, in another startling development, the Baltic Dry Index (BDI), the next chart below, has collapsed 50% from the beginning of the year.

Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com

Read more from ProfitConfidential.com >>

Look At Yourself After Watching This

If you think you cannot do this or cannot do that...then look what Nick Vujicic has accomplished and continues to do. He truly inspires!

Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill (Live on Letterman)

This is good music - enjoy!

2014 Gates Annual Letter

Bill and Melinda Gates are dedicating their lives full time towards the betterment of the world - through hands on systematic giving. Their boots on the ground approach allows them to tailor their aids approach in each country and gives accordingly. With all the resources available to them, this couple is making a big difference in the lives of millions in India and Africa.

2014 Gates Annual Letter

3 MYTHS
THAT BLOCK PROGRESS FOR THE POOR

By almost any measure, the world is better than it has ever been. People are living longer, healthier lives. Many nations that were aid recipients are now self-sufficient. You might think that such striking progress would be widely celebrated, but in fact, Melinda and I are struck by how many people think the world is getting worse. The belief that the world can’t solve extreme poverty and disease isn’t just mistaken. It is harmful. That’s why in this year’s letter we take apart some of the myths that slow down the work. The next time you hear these myths, we hope you will do the same. 
- Bill Gates

MYTH ONE
POOR COUNTRIES ARE DOOMED TO STAY POOR
by Bill Gates
I’ve heard this myth stated about lots of places, but most often about Africa. A quick Web search will turn up dozens of headlines and book titles such as 'How Rich Countries Got Rich and Why Poor Countries Stay Poor.'

MYTH TWO
FOREIGN AID IS A BIG WASTE
by Bill Gates
You may have read news articles about foreign aid that are filled with big generalizations based on small examples. They tend to cite anecdotes about waste in some program and suggest that foreign aid is a waste. If you hear enough of these stories, it’s easy to get the impression that aid just doesn’t work. It’s no wonder that one British newspaper claimed last year that more than half of voters want cuts in overseas aid.

MYTH THREE
SAVING LIVES LEADS TO OVERPOPULATION
by Melinda Gates
We see comments like this all the time on the Gates Foundation’s blog, Facebook page, and Twitter feed. It makes sense that people are concerned about whether the planet can continue to sustain the human race, especially in the age of climate change. But this kind of thinking has gotten the world into a lot of trouble. Anxiety about the size of the world population has a dangerous tendency to override concern for the human beings who make up that population.

Read the Gates letters >>