Brazil's investment-grade credit falls beyond correction and into junk territory as Standard & Poor's downgraded the country's debt Wednesday. According to a report from The Guardian, Standard & Poor's said that Brazil lost its investment-grade status as it is projected with a negative outlook. This downgrade is unfortunate as the nation enters a recession.
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Financial Advisers Raised Fees for Getting Pension Help after Freedom Reforms
Financial advisers increased basic pension services fees over the year after freedom reforms, according to new study. This is Money reports that financial advisers raised the cost for pension help by 16 to 17 percent. To get advice on how to turn a £100,000 pension pot into a lump sum, advisers increased their fees to £1,750 from £1,500. Meanwhile, the fee for a drawdown scheme for £300,000 pot has increased to £3,500 from £3,000. These are the middle figures from adviser website unbiased.co.uk from October 2014 to July 2015.
Two Giant Debt Collectors Ordered to Refund a Collected $61million to Consumers
Encore Capital Group and Portfolio Recovery Associates are ordered to refund a collected $61 million to customers for allegedly using deceptive strategies to collect debt. CNN reported that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau charged these two giant debt collectors for buying inaccurate debts, collecting unverified debts, and using illegal strategies to collect debts.
Apple launches upgrades, including first ever Apple Pencil; Looks great but impractical, says professional designers
Tech giant Apple released Wednesday a series of product upgrades, including the new iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S plus, Siri-collaborative Apple TV, the enterprise-grade 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and the first ever Apple Pencil, which is a stylus for designers and creatives.
Twitter partners with giant Indonesian carrier Indosat on #TwitBuy
Twitter announced Monday that it entered a partnership with giant Indonesian carrier Indosat, allowing its 68 million users to use its direct messaging (DM) feature.
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French Industry slumps lower in the third quarter as production unexpectedly fell to 0.8%, a number lowest since November 2014. Economists forecasted a 0.2 increase according to Bloomberg survey, making the 0.8 percent downward curve such a big surprise. The statistics office reported Thursday that French industry output fell by 0.8 percent annually. Meanwhile, manufacturing output also dropped by 1 percent this month.
Glencore's Chief Executive Officer, co-founder, and second largest shareholder Ivan Glasenberg is set to pay $210 million of the company's impending $2.5 billion sale of new shares to repair its balance sheet.
With an ambition to be the next eCommerce giant in Southeast Asia, Matahari Mall officially launched Wednesday with $500 million funding from giant Indonesian real estate development company Lippo Group.
Starting last week, Kmart, the U.S. retail company under Sears Holding Corp. brings back its No Money Down Layaway Program and launches No Money Down Leasing for holiday shoppers.
Apple launched the new Apple TV during its big product even in San Francisco Wednesday, showing a lot of promise with the Siri remote; but critics believe it still hasn't "cracked the code" in ultimately changing the way people watch TV.
BMW, the German automaker is investing millions in a new parking startup based in San Francisco. BMW through its investment unit, BMW i Ventures is investing an undisclosed amount in an on-demand parking company called ZIRX. The news was confirmed by ZIRX CEO and co-founder himself, Sean Behr.
Nintendo, the largest Japanese video game company, had teamed up with Niantic Inc. to develop Pokémon Go, a mobile game based on the popular monsters from the Japanese cartoon series.
Gas becomes less expensive because the bottom has fallen out on oil prices. Crude is responsible for almost half the cost of a gallon of gas, as reported by CNN Money. Since June, prices have been plummeting and according to AAA, the regular gasoline's average price is now at $2.40 per gallon or more than a dollar less than it was a year ago. The plunge has been widespread and average prices are still above $3 in only four states namely: California, Nevada, Alaska, and Hawaii wherein the last two states have everything that is often more expensive.
While Korea is hurting from a long drop in exports, one industry is booming in shipments and posts double-digit growth. This draws the attention of policymakers seeking for a new way to grow its export.
