7 expenses growing faster than inflation

BANGKOK, June 25 (Reuters): Thailand's inflation will remain elevated this year but should fall back into the central bank's target range of 1-3% in the second quarter of next year, a bank official had announced, South-East Asia's second-largest economy is expected to return to its pre-pandemic level late this year or early next year, Sakkapop Panyanukul, a senior director at the Bank of Thailand, told a trade seminar. The BOT predicts headline inflation of 6.2% this year and 2.5% next year. Thailand's economy is expected to grow by 3% this year and 3.7% next year, driven by exports, increased domestic demand and a recovery in tourism, the state planning agency had said earlier. Exports, a key driver of growth, still had momentum despite the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the global economy, Danucha Pichayanan, head of the National Economic and Social Development Council, told a business seminar. "The Russia-Ukraine issue is a risk but it's also an opportunity, … [Read more...] about Thai inflation seen back to target in Q2 2023, says central bank; economy expected to grow by 3% in 2022

(Representative image: Reuters) Dear Reader, A whiff of change wafted through the markets this week. The focus shifted from worrying over inflation to concerns about growth. The advance Purchasing Managers Indices (PMIs) for the current month for the US and the Eurozone showed slowing growth, but while they indicated inflation was cooling in the US, it continued to rise relentlessly in the Eurozone. They also reflected stalling demand and falling business confidence. The New York Fed’s economic model predicted an 80 percent chance of a hard landing for the US. UK consumer confidence hit a record low. In China, housing starts and property transactions reached extreme lows. The worries over an imminent recession in the US, the UK and the Eurozone sent commodity prices sharply lower. Copper prices have moved down dramatically. My colleague Ravi Ananthanarayanan wrote about the dark clouds hovering over steel . Crude oil prices too fell. That dissipated some of the … [Read more...] about MC Pro Weekender | A new narrative

Wall Street, New York City (File image: Reuters) Global dealmaking is entering an arid season as raging inflation and a stock market rout curb the appetite of many corporate boards to expand through acquisitions. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February and fears that an economic recession is looming dealt a blow to merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the second quarter. The value of announced deals dropped 25.5% year-on-year to $1 trillion, according to Dealogic data. "Companies are standing back from M&A in the short term as they are more focused on the impact of a recession on their business. The timing for dealmaking will come but I don't think it's quite there yet," said Alison Harding-Jones, Citigroup Inc's EMEA M&A head. M&A activity in the United States plunged 40% to $456 billion in the second quarter, while Asia Pacific was down 10%, Dealogic data showed. Close Europe was the only region where dealmaking didn't crash. Activity … [Read more...] about Global M&A deals brace for dry spell as boardrooms put expansion on backburner

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The amount of money that you need to retire is a different number for everyone. It depends on how much you’ve saved; your investments, your risk tolerance and a lot of other variables. Financial advisors spend their entire education studying how to best determine the amount of money that a person will need for their retirement, but there is a quick and easy shortcut that you can use to estimate how much you’ll need. How Much Do You Need To Retire? It’s Complicated Keep in mind that the magic number for retirement is specific to your needs, your expenses, and your specific financial situation. Figuring out how much you need (and then how to maximize it and draw down on it effectively) is a really complicated process, that may best be accomplished with the help of a financial planner. Your retirement number may also change, depending on how you invest and if your expenses are changing. What other variables could impact … [Read more...] about How Much Do You Need To Retire? Find Out In 60 Seconds

There's something special about successful entrepreneurs--they have a way of thinking and acting that is different than most people. The good news is that anyone can learn to think like an entrepreneur, and to put these powerful secrets to work in their own lives, no matter what they do. In his book, Shift Your Thinking: Win Where You Stand, entrepreneur and author Clifton Taulbert explores exactly what it is that makes successful businesspeople successful. Says Taulbert, "When embraced, these strategies are designed to maximize your potential, starting where you stand, and to bring about the creativity, agility, flexibility, tenacity, and resolve needed to succeed wherever your personal, professional, and inventive journey takes you." 1. Choose your mind-set You're the one who decides the attitudes and assumptions you will carry with you through your life, and you're the one who can change them. If your mind-set--and the work you're doing--isn't taking … [Read more...] about 7 Powerful Secrets of Thinking Like an Entrepreneur

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The truth is that taking the time to get educated about the opportunities available is a smart business decision—regardless of whether you want or are ready to make a move. Advisors often wonder if there’s a right time to embark upon the due diligence process. And the reality is that it’s important that they always stay aware and educated about the opportunities around them—particularly in an environment that’s evolved rapidly over the last several years. But to do a “deep dive” takes some time and effort on the advisor’s part and is generally left to those experiencing a gap between where they are now and where they want to be. And that gap helps determine the urgency around the next steps you might take. If the gap is big enough and important enough to justify the hassle of a move, then it makes sense to begin due diligence. You may decide that a more passive approach – what we call “armchair exploration” – is … [Read more...] about Financial Advisors: Is Now The ‘Right Time’ To Start Exploring Your Options?

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The compensation of Family Office CEOs has jumped by a huge 133% in the last six years. In 2016, as part of the first Agreus Compensation Benchmark Report, we revealed that the most common salary belonging to CEOs sat between £150,001 and £200,000. By 2017 this had increased to £300,000 and now, the most common basic salary achieved by Family Office CEOs stands at £300,001 - £350,000. An increase of as much as £200,000 in just six years. In 2016, the average CEO salary stood at £165,000. Fast-forward to today and this average sits around the £200,001 to £250,000 mark. When considering the fact that just 6% of CEOs today are paid less than £100,000 and and a further 13% less than £150,000, you can imagine this figure is much higher in practice with 49% achieving way over £200,000 a year. This is particularly interesting when looking at national salary increases for the same time period. While Family Office CEO … [Read more...] about Family Office CEO Compensation Jumps By More Than 100%

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The Oklahoma mogul spoke to Forbes about how he's protecting his investments ahead of the “near certainty” of a recession. With the S&P 500 entering a bear market last week , many of America’s billionaires are convinced that a recession is in the offing . George Kaiser , one of the wealthiest people in Oklahoma with an estimated $9.5 billion fortune, is one of them. Kaiser, 79, told Forbes that a “recession seems a near certainty” and that he expects the economy to tip into a downturn in the first two quarters of 2023, with a prolonged dip in the stock market. The timing of the market bottoming out—the point at which the stock market hits a low and begins rising again—is still far off, according to Kaiser. “Historic analogies would suggest a 35% total drop from the peak, but that history is largely irrelevant since so many of the factors are unique,” he said. Kaiser, who has appeared on the Forbes … [Read more...] about Oil And Banking Billionaire George Kaiser Says Market Bottom Is Still Far Off

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin It's going to be a busy summer travel season. And different. The summer travel advice from experts is different, too. Domestic travel volume will rise 16% over last year, with almost 75% of Americans planning to travel domestically for summer vacations, according to Allianz Partners' Top 10 Summer Destinations review . And travel to Europe will soar 600% over last year. ​​ "The floodgates have opened," says Valentina O'Kane, owner of Incognito Global Travel , an affiliate of Embark Beyond. "People are rushing to get out there again. The popular tourist destinations are overbooked, with little if any availability. They are going to be overcrowded and overpriced this summer." I just interviewed 200 top travel experts about what lies ahead for travel. Here's part one of my series , which outlines what to expect in the next three months. There are two important takeaways. Covid is far from over, so you may … [Read more...] about Expert Summer Travel Advice For Your Next Vacation

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Finally, after months of frustration on both sides, Real Madrid appears ready to offload Gareth Bale, with the Welsh winger headed for Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer. In other elite-player news, Paris Saint-Germain seems prepared to keep Neymar by offering the world’s most expensive transfer a lucrative contract extension, as it did with Kylian Mbappé not long ago. For Neymar, this would reportedly be a five-year deal . As the big breakaway edges closer for Bale, who can soon put any troubles firmly behind him, he and Neymar seem to be taking different decisions, with one seeking a fresh challenge and the other staying put. Yet, with discontent never far away from both players, they each represent the same curious reality within super clubs today, which has been growing in relevance for a while—that money is virtually boundless, and what it brings is never enough. Combined, Real and PSG have spent well over €300 … [Read more...] about Gareth Bale And Neymar Have Different Plans; Both Reflect The Same Issue