On Friday, Moody’s Investors Service downgraded nine Portuguese banks because of increased asset risk as a result of the banks’ holdings of Portuguese government debt and the sovereign downgrade of Portugal in July to Ba2 with a negative outlook.

“The key driver for the downgrades of most banks’ debt and deposit ratings is Moody’s assessment of the deterioration of their unsupported financial strength,” said the ratings agency.

From in.finance.yahoo.com:

Moody’s said it had downgraded by one or two notches the senior debt and deposit ratings of nine banks and downgraded by one or two notches the standalone ratings of six of these banks.

All of the banks’ ratings carry a negative outlook with the exception of Banco Portugues de Negocios, which has a developing outlook on all of its ratings. it said.

The six banks which experienced downgrades of standalone ratings and debt and deposit ratings are: Caixa Geral de Depositos, Banco Comercial Portugues, Banco Espirito Santo, Banco BPI, Banco Santander Totta and Caixa Economica Montepio Geral.

“However, Moody’s believes that these plans face significant implementation risks,” Moody’s said.

Tags: deposit ratings, government debt, ratings agency

Full-service airlines of India that have been buffeted by high fuel costs and intense competition are facing new headwinds on their lucrative international routes as budget carriers launch services with rock-bottom fares.

These airlines are being forced to respond with similar no-frills offerings on popular and profitable routes as low-cost carriers are introducing routes using narrow-body aircraft to overseas destinations within five hours flying time of India.

From in.finance.yahoo.com:

Budget airline IndiGo, which in June firmed up a $16.2 billion order for 180 single-aisle Airbus aircraft, has received government approval to fly to Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai and Muscat, and is luring passengers with round-trip fares as low as 9,999 rupees ($220).

By comparison, full service carriers charge between 17,000 and 22,000 rupees for economy class Mumbai-Singapore routes booked a month in advance.

“The entry of IndiGo will help in growing the market. Low cost carriers are creating a new market with a new breed of customers who did not fly international earlier,” said Kapil Kaul, chief executive for the Indian subcontinent and Middle East at the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA).

“Low cost carriers are much better poised to take advantage of the growth, because India is a very price-sensitive market,” SpiceJet CEO Neil Mills told Reuters.

Tags: airlines of India, budget carriers

According to sources, the $9.5 billion pool of U.S. commercial real estate loan sold by failed lender Anglo Irish Bank Corp has been won by Wells Fargo & Co, JPMorgan Chase & Co, and Lone Star Funds.

The sale attracted more than two dozen buyers and it is believed that the total price paid for all the loans was between $7 billion and $8 billion.

From Reuters.com:

To attract a large pool of potential buyers, the portfolio was broken into eight separate pools according to the performance of the loans and the length to maturity.

The first three pools contained performing loans. JPMorgan was the winner of the first tranche comprising loans with a balance of about $1 billion to $1.5 billion, the source said.

Wells Fargo won the second and third tranches valued at about $3 billion to $3.5 billion, the source said. Wells Fargo recently bought a $1.4 billion performing loan portfolio from the failed Bank of Ireland for about par, another source said.

Global distressed debt and equity investor Lone Star won the remaining five pools of sub-performing and non-performing loans. The five pools have a face value of about $5 billion.

According to an information sheet obtained by Reuters, the pools have also been split along the lines of real estate types — hotels, apartments, condominiums, offices, and warehouse.

Tags: Anglo Irish Bank, JPMorgan Chase, performing loans, real estate

If you want your business to operate freely without any fear of non-compliance to government safety regulations, convex safety mirrors could be more than just useful to you.

In addition to satisfying safety norms, convex mirrors (also known as safety mirrors and domes) also help in improving productivity of personnel at the workplace as they feel protected against common accidents. The fact that these safety mirrors do not require a huge investment and are easy to set up besides easily available online at affordable pricing with safe, secure, and flexible payment options make them a must-have safety product at every modern-day workplace.

One of the best things about these convex mirrors, safety mirrors, and domes is keeping the business property and products protected against accidents, theft, and shoplifting. In addition to that, they are also useful in safeguarding life of workforce against collision and avoiding the need to hire extra people to oversee every event at the workplace. These domes can also be used for keeping a close vigil on the staff so that they perform their routine duties in the best interests of the employer and business and stay away from developing habits such as theft and shoplifting.

We hope that this information on convex mirrors, safety mirrors, and domes was useful to you in attaining a clear and complete insight.

Tags: convex mirrors, convex safety mirrors, domes, safety mirrors

If you want to promote your business like never before by reaping the advantages of mass-scale advertising without spending a fortune, sandwich boards can help you in more than just a way.

This is not just because a sandwich board (also known as Marquee Sandwich Board, Sidewalk Sandwich Board, Signicade Sandwich Board, and WindSign Sandwich Board) has the unmatched potential of attracting open-minded, impulse shoppers who are out on the street to buy but also because these promotional boards do not require maintenance and come at affordable pricing. If that is not all, sandwich boards can be easily carried inside and outside of the business environment and can tolerate & demonstrate the same efficacy rough weather conditions.

A sandwich boards with words such as “Looking for smart garments” or “Solution to all your finance needs” can surely entice customers in the most effective and cost-effective way. When placed strategically (such as near the entrance to marketplace or shopping mall), these sandwich boards can help in creating brand awareness and promoting the products and services of a business – small or big, online or offline.

One of the best things about this advertising medium is the ease of changing the promotional message, as and when required. Moreover, these boards (sandwich boards) showcase customer-friendliness by highlighting business name, website name, and contact number to reach the business in quick time. They can also be used to suggest the easiest route to reach the business store.

All in all, a decision to go with sandwich board advertising for business is indeed a smart decision, irrespective of the market environment or type/scale of business operations.

Tags: advertising, advertising medium, Marquee Sandwich Board, promotional boards, promotional message, sandwich board, sandwich board advertising, Sandwich boards, Sidewalk Sandwich Board, Signicade Sandwich Board, WindSign Sandwich Board

A top White House official recently remarked that the United States is hopeful that major trading partners like China, India, and Brazil will help successfully conclude the Doha round of trade negotiations.

The statement was made to assert that the United States is engaged in trying to pursue an ambitious agreement for the Doha Round.

From in.finance.yahoo.com:

“We are very much engaged in trying to pursue a ambitious agreement for the Doha Round. We”re engaged bilaterally with major trading partners. We”re engaged in the multilateral process in Geneva. We’re engaged plural laterally with various groupings of countries,” US Deputy National Security Advisor Mike Froman told reporters Monday.

The United States, he said, believes that it is important that the Doha Round creates meaningful market access if it is going to be successful.

“That”s what we’re focusing on right now and we hope that our major trading partners, including China, India, Brazil, will come to the table with a similar approach and a similar attitude with the objective of creating a strong agreement,” Froman said in response to a question.

The recently concluded Asia-Pacific Cooperation Senior Officials Meeting discussed the Doha round, as per Froman.

Tags: trade negotiations, trading partners

According to US researchers, newly trained female doctors in the United States make nearly $17,000 less than their male counterparts despite the fact that women increasingly are choosing careers in higher-paying medical specialties.

The researchers disclosed that there has been a widening gender gap in starting salaries for female doctors, rising from a difference of $3,600 in 1999 to $16,819 in 2008.

From in.news.yahoo.com:

“It is not surprising to say that women physicians make less than male physicians because women traditionally choose lower-paying jobs in primary care fields or they choose to work fewer hours,” Anthony Lo Sasso of the School of Public Health of the University of Illinois at Chicago said in a statement.

“What is surprising is that even when we account for specialty and hours and other factors, we see this growing unexplained gap in starting salary. The same gap exists for women in primary care as it does in specialty fields,” said Lo Sasso, whose findings were published in the journal Health Affairs.

The study is based on survey data from more than 8,000 doctors exiting training programs in New York.

Tags: careers, medical specialties, primary care, starting salaries, training programs

The largest car maker of India, Maruti Suzuki India, launched its luxury sedan Kizashi, with an introductory price of upto Rs 17.5 lakh.

Kizashi is powered by a 2.4 litre petrol engine and will be imported from parent Suzuki’s Japan facility.

From in.finance.yahoo.com:

The country”s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India today launched its luxury sedan Kizashi, with an introductory price of upto Rs 17.5 lakh.

The car, powered by a 2.4 litre petrol engine, will be imported from parent Suzuki”s Japan facility.

“The Kizashi is a major step forward for Maruti Suzuki. With the launch of this luxurious sporty sedan, the company is able to offer an international car to top-end customers in India,” Maruti Suzuki India Managing Director and CEO Shinzo Nakanishi told reporters here.

The car would be available in two variants, manual transmission priced at Rs 16.5 lakh and automatic transmission at Rs 17.5 lakh.

Maruti Suzuki India has already started bookings for the car, deliveries for which will begin in March this year.

Tags: Kizashi, luxury sedan, Maruti Suzuki

If you are keen to know about how to plan your investments to gain maximum returns as well as maximum tax benefits, this piece of information is best suited for you.

HRA (house rent allowance), which is provided to salaried people under Section 10 (13A) of Income Tax Act, 1961, can be used to claim tax benefits.

From in.finance.yahoo.com:

The four components of HRA calculation

When you are calculating HRA for tax exemption you take into consideration four aspects which includes salary, HRA received, the actual rent paid and where you reside, i.e. if it is a metro or non-metro. If these aspects remain constant through the year, then tax exemption is calculated as a whole annually, if this is subject to change, as in a rent hike or shift in residence etc. then it is calculated on a monthly basis.

The place of residence is significant in HRA calculation as for a metro the tax exemption for HRA is 50% of the basic salary while for non-metros it is 40% of the basic salary.

How HRA exemption is calculated

To figure out how much HRA exemption you are eligible for, consider these three values which includes a.The actual rent allowance the employer provides you as part of your salary, b. the actual rent you pay for your house from which 10% of your basic pay is deducted, c. 50% of your basic salary when you reside in a metro or 40% if you reside in a non-metro.

The least value of these three values is allowed as tax exemption on your HRA. You can discuss restructuring your pay structure with your employer in order to avail the most of your HRA tax benefit.

The best thing about HRA is that you can pay rent to your parents or the landlord to claim tax benefits.

Tags: house rent allowance, HRA calculation, HRA exemption, HRA for tax exemption

Users should remove their home addresses and phone numbers from their Facebook accounts, according to a security expert.

Graham Cluley said Facebook now gives third parties access to that information and developers of applications get access to the contact information of users who install their apps.

From in.finance.yahoo.com:

“These permissions must be explicitly granted to your application by the user via our standard permissions dialogs. Please note that these permissions only provide access to a user’s address and mobile phone number, not their friend’s addresses or mobile phone numbers,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Facebook’s Jeff Bowen as saying.

However, Sophos security expert Cluley, has raised doubts over the move.

“You have to ask yourself – is Facebook putting the safety of its 500+ million users as a top priority with this move?” he said.

“It won’t take long for scammers to take advantage of this new facility, to use for their own criminal ends.”

Cluley advised that users should take personal info such as home addresses and mobile numbers off their pages.

Cluley said, “You can imagine, for instance, that bad guys could set up a rogue app that collects mobile phone numbers and then uses that information for the purposes of SMS spamming or sells on the data to cold-calling companies.”

Tags: facebook, security expert, SMS spamming