Bajaj finance for bike loan

A view of the New York City skyline of Manhattan and the Hudson River), as seen from Weehawken, New Jersey, U.S. April 18, 2020. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/File photo LONDON – New York remains far and away the world’s most favored financial center, with London still second and Singapore overtaking Hong Kong to come in third, latest rankings from the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) showed on Thursday. Paris returned to the top 10 to replace Tokyo, but Moscow sank 22 places to 73rd as Western countries severed ties with the capital after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, GFCI said. GFCI, compiled by Z/Yen, a City of London think tank, and the China Development Institute, rated 119 centers using 66,121 assessments from 11,038 financial professionals, and quantitative data. New York has held the top position among global financial centers ranked by GFCI for four years, overtaking London. “London’s second position looks secure but needs a significant global change to once … [Read more...] about New York still top, Moscow sinks in finance center ranking

Mortgage rates declined to their lowest level in a month last week amid concerns about the banking industry, while home loan applications rose for the third straight week. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Market Composite Index, which measures mortgage application volume, increased 3% from the previous week. Refinance applications jumped 5%, while those to purchase a home were up 2%. The MBA indicated that the average rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate conforming home loan (up to $726,200) was 6.48%, down from 6.71%. It hasn’t been that low since the week ending Feb. 10. Yields Down on Banking Turmoil "The drop in rates was related to the recent turmoil in the banking sector, which sent Treasury yields falling," said Joel Kan, the MBA’s vice president and deputy chief economist. He added that because of the dip in loan costs, "borrowers took the opportunity to act." Economists at mortgage originator Freddie Mac have made a similar observation, noting that the … [Read more...] about Mortgage Rates Decline to the Lowest Level in a Month

With the onset of La Niña, we cannot just wait for legislation to solve our water problems. During his State of the Nation Address, President Marcos announced the creation of a Department of Water Resources as a key legislative measure. Since it is uncertain when Congress will act upon it, we must take action now. Water is a prerequisite for sustainable development. Last Sept. 7 during the general assembly of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), leadership council member Alyansa Agrikultura brought up the need for coordination among 32 water-related agencies in government. What went before? In 2018, a joint legislative-executive private sector committee was formed to address the water crisis. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) had placed the Philippines at the bottom third of 48 countries in terms of water governance. As the committee’s private sector secretary general, I followed the guidance of University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) Water Center chair … [Read more...] about What the PH needs now to solve a water crisis

The Evergrande Center of China Evergrande Group is seen in Shanghai, China Sept 24, 2021. REUTERS/Aly Song HONG KONG  -China Evergrande Group’s debt restructuring proposal, a test of investor sentiment toward the battered property sector, failed to impress because of its long repayment period and lack of enough sweeteners, creditors and analysts said. Evergrande is the world’s most indebted developer with about $300 billion in liabilities. Its debt restructuring, the country’s biggest such exercise, is aimed at saving it from a disorderly collapse. The developer has $22.7 billion of offshore debt, all of which is deemed to be in default. The plan provided two main options to its dollar bondholders to recoup their investments. Creditors can either swap all of their holdings into new notes with maturities of 10 to 12 years, or convert them into different combinations of new notes with tenors of five to nine years and equity-linked instruments. Bondholders of notes issued by … [Read more...] about Evergrande debt revamp plan fails to cheer investors, property stocks fall

MANILA, Philippines  – Tycoon Edgar Saavedra’s Megawide Construction Corp. is rolling out a P1.5 -billion preferred share sale next week after pricing the initial dividend rate at 7.09 percent. In a stock exchange notice, the construction and engineering group said the offer period will run from March 28 to April 4 this year. The shares will be listed on April 17. Megawide is selling up to 15 million preferred shares at P100 per share. It tapped RCBC Capital Corp. as sole issue manager, lead underwriter and book runner for the offer. The company earlier said the offer proceeds would be used to fully redeem its series 2A preferred shares that were issued in 2020, according to the deal prospectus dated Jan. 5, 2023. These were being redeemed before the dividend rate increases due to a step-up feature that kicks in on May 27 this year. The company retains the option to redeem the series 5 shares in 2026 or three years from the listing date, an earlier prospectus showed. … [Read more...] about Megawide to start P1.5-B preferred share offering on March 28

People are seen on Wall St. outside the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File photo LONDON  – New York kept the top spot in the latest rankings of global financial centers from Z/Yen Group on Thursday, with London and Singapore also unchanged in second and third place. New York overtook London to head the table in September 2018 — two years after Britain voted to leave the European Union — but London has retained its second place ranking since then, despite some predicting it could take a heavy knock from Brexit. “New York retains a significant first position, and five other U.S. centers are in the top 10,” Z/Yen chairman Michael Mainelli said in a statement. Finance industry officials worried about London’s global reputation as a financial center after the Bank of England had to step in last September to buy government bonds to stop a rout in prices. Markets had been unnerved by a government announcement of unfunded tax cuts. … [Read more...] about New York holds top spot, London second in Z/Yen financial center survey

SOHN HAE-YONG The author is the economic news editor of the JoongAng Ilbo. Korean lawmakers get some of the best treatments in the world. Last year, each member of the National Assembly was paid 154.26 million won ($117,900) before taxes, including salary and activity allowance. In terms of per capita GDP, Japan and Italy are the only countries that give higher salaries to lawmakers than their Korean counterparts. On top of that, lawmakers are provided with extra expenses, including business expenses, gasoline subsidies and trip expenses. Each lawmaker has nine aids. All together, one lawmaker costs 756 million won a year. The money is deposited into the account of lawmakers every month even if they do not engage in parliamentary activities. It is entirely paid by taxpayers’ money. Though lawmakers are paid a salary equivalent to the labor cost of a good medium-sized business, their productivity is very low. The approval rate of bills proposed in the 21st National Assembly is … [Read more...] about [Meanwhile] ‘No work, no pay’ for lawmakers, too (KOR)

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Professional gamblers wager millions on the NCAA Tournament using an auction-style format that brings out casual hoop dreamers and sophisticated quants. With brackets busted, it still pays to play the game within the game. N eal, a 36-year-old insurance broker who lives in Ohio with his wife and two children, is the proud owner of the University of Texas, University of Connecticut, Tennessee, Creighton and Florida Atlantic men’s basketball teams. His wife doesn’t know about his ownership stakes, but hopefully by the end of the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament his $19,000 investment will turn into $50,000. And then, he’ll let her know. “Right now, we’re on a heater,” he says of the March Madness run his teams are on. “We’re still in the red on paper, but I hope that will change quickly with a few wins.” Neal doesn’t technically own any team, of course, but the amateur sports gambler “bought” these college … [Read more...] about Inside A High-Stakes March Madness Calcutta

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Dan Fisher is the president and CEO of ECMC Group , a nonprofit focused on helping students succeed in postsecondary education. Conversations around college access and affordability in the U.S. typically focus on tuition costs and student loans. But for many high school students—particularly those from traditionally underserved populations—the barriers to postsecondary education tower above the tuition bill they get in the mail. Basic needs like food, transportation, textbooks, housing security and physical and mental health present additional hurdles to accessing postsecondary education that reinforce existing societal inequities. And another obstacle is less tangible but no less important: Very few students feel they are properly prepared to decide their future plans. That’s what my organization found in our recent survey of 14- to 18-year-old high school students who come from first-generation, … [Read more...] about Helping Underserved Students Find The Right Postsecondary Pathway

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Ryan is a career marketer with operational excellence whose creative thinking solves business challenges. Football quarterbacks are the stars of the show for a good reason. But who would they be without the linemen? A hardly ever glorified position, their consistent performance in support of the quarterback is the difference between a good season and a Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs knows this well. In the lead up to the big game, he gifted complete sets of personalized TaylorMade golf clubs to his offensive linemen for Christmas. Star players like quarterbacks get a lot of attention for their exceptional skills, performance and game-changing moments. And they should. They often have a unique combination of athletic ability, mental toughness and the ability to perform consistently under pressure. But standing just outside that spotlight are the key players that make the difference between a … [Read more...] about Unsung Heroes: The Players That Uplift The Entire Team’s Performance