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Sunday, January 24, 2016

China’s Forex Fast-Track

The news agency Reuters recently reported that China is to boost risk controls and speed up the development of its foreign exchange market during 2016. The State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), posted information on its website detailing the proposals which also include the opening of China’s capital account and improvements to the management of its foreign exchange reserves.

The statement was posted after an internal meeting in Beijing that was attended by Pan Gongsheng, who is the newly appointed deputy governor of China's central bank and the party secretary for SAFE. The news came just as the yuan reached its lowest level compared to the dollar in five years, news that sent markets around the world into a panic for fear of competitive currency devaluations. China has also ordered some of its biggest banks to limit the purchase of the US dollar.  

The integration of China into the world economy has been led by its move to a private sector economy and the growth it has achieved from this has been a global phenomenon. Further policy change is in the making and will see more liberalisation of China’s Forex markets. Will this lead to continued growth for the Chinese economy?

China’s economy is growing at a slower rate now than it has seen in the past 25 years and the International Monetary Fund is predicting that over the next two years growth will slow further, falling from 6.9% in 2015 to 6.0% in 2017. China is pushing a move from an economy driven by exports and investment to one driven by consumption and services. However, some experts are arguing that this transition is being made too quickly and that a sustained focus on productivity is what is needed in order to sustain growth and that doing so would ensure a more stable move to the consumption and services economy they desire, over time.

When China sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold, is a cliché that has been used time and again, but maybe now is a pertinent time to time to ask yourself, how will China’s changes to their foreign exchange regulations affect global trading and whether it is good for China, or not, is there an opportunity for you to fast-track some financial gain?

While pondering this, bear in mind the words of economist Tony Nash, who told the BBC; "China's growth in 2015 was equivalent to the size of the entire economy of Switzerland or Saudi Arabia.”

“That's not an easy feat and shows the magnitude of the accomplishment,"  Nash added.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Luxurious Seattle Condos for Sale

Once you’ve decided you are ready to take the next step in buying Seattle condos for sale, it’s time to find the right team of realtors. Don’t look to just any realty group – you need a team you can trust and depend on.  The Stroupe Group offers over 20 years of experience in the Seattle real estate market. We specialize in the downtown market, but also work very closely with properties in the Seattle suburbs.

Each member of our highly respected team is dedicated to helping you along every step in the process purchasing your next investment. We’ll meet with you to discuss your requirements. We take the time to know you and your preferences. It’s easy to get started with our online form for submission – simply enter your name, your email, a phone number, the best time to reach you and your reason for inquiring.


We respect your time and your privacy. We’ll meet with you based on a time that meets your availability. Scheduling appointments or showings is quick and painless. Let us help you get started on your journey to the right property for you. Choose from Seattle condos for sale that are only within your budget and your requirements. Contact us now to set up your appointment and to get started!

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Investing in People – Your most valuable resource

Give a man a job he loves, and he’ll never work again. An expression that’s as old as the hills, but still holds true today. Research by the University of Warwick has proven the idiom that a happy workforce is a productive one. When it comes to predicting any fluctuations within the share price of a company, a lot of interesting information can be gleaned from looking at employee satisfaction. If we are to look at Fortune Magazine’s list of 100 Best Companies to Work For, topping their poll is Internet Search Behemoth Google, who turns over an average of $60 Billion every year. Other recognisable names that fall into the top 100 include Twitter, American Express, Marriott International and KPMG.

By looking at this list what we see is that some of the world’s most profitable companies have some of the world’s happiest employees. It would therefore be prudent to have a look at what business owners can do to improve employee satisfaction as a means of improving profitability and share price. Gretchen Rubin as cited in Inc.com believes that one factor that can create a satisfied employee is to give them more control. She states that taking steps as simple as allowing employees to customise their own workspace or considering their work-life balance. This lets employees know that their bosses care about them as individuals.

Opportunities for Development make up an important part of building satisfaction among employees. Having a clear path towards a better career is an excellent motivator and encourages people to do their job better. Their effort can be reciprocated with a possible promotion and a move up the ladder. Many retailers offer graduate programmes to their employees, but it is McDonalds who win in the game of offering employee prospects. Hamburger University was set up as a training centre to allow the many people employed by the fast food giant to expand their skill base. Today over 80,000 people have graduated onto positions within the company, more educated and committed than before. 
    
Another means of improving employee satisfaction make take the form of offering company perks. These can vary from simple things like a bonus system, flexibility with working hours or extended holidays, to highly desirable incentives such as offering a company car or comprehensive health insurance for their workforce. Not only will offering perks such as these increase the job satisfaction of your current employees, they will also go some way to encouraging the best talent to want to come and work for you. Overall it’s a win win situation!


Having read this article, you will now have a greater appreciation of how having happy employees really works for everyone. Several simple steps can be taken, but in terms of how much you are willing to invest in your employees, the sky’s the limit. Increasing satisfaction increases profit, which in turn increases the share price, which increases shareholder satisfaction, which should, overall, increase your own personal satisfaction!