In the world's most populous nation, the business of burying the dead is booming.

In the world's most populous nation, the business of burying the dead is booming.

China's aging population and elaborate burial rituals are fueling rapid growth in demand for death care services.

The country of 1.4 billion people has the most deaths in the world each year: 9.7 million in 2012. That figure is expected to hit 10.4 million by 2017.
Providing services from burial plot landscaping to funeral catering is a lucrative business. The industry was worth 93.5 billion yuan ($15.4 billion) last year, and is forecast to rise 10% annually for the next five years, according to Euromonitor.
Investors have already spotted the potential. Shares in Shanghai-based Fu Shou Yuan, China's largest death care provider, soared by as much as 66% when they began trading in Hong Kong late December.
Related story: The high cost of saying goodbye
The Chinese take the dead and dying very seriously -- improper rites are thought to bring bad luck to the living. Their customs are elaborate, and traditional beliefs dictate how everything should be done, from tomb location and body handling to the funeral procession.
Ceremonies, which can last for days, include burning offerings to ensure loved ones are comfortable in the afterlife. Sticks of incense, food and drink, fake money, iPads, Chanel handbags and even mansions go up in smoke.
And in a culture where social dignity is strongly valued, nobody wants to be perceived as cutting corners when paying their respects. In fact, some families even hire people to express grief around-the-clock -- the louder and longer the cries, the stronger the demonstration of filial piety.
Demand for burial plots is overwhelming some of China's cities. Cemetery prices per square meter can exceed the cost of premium apartments, according to Euromonitor. Tombs in Beijing can easily cost 75,000 yuan, or $12,000 -- three times the price per meter for housing in China's capital city.
In Hong Kong, it's hard enough to find space for cremated ashes, let alone a permanent burial plot, forcing residents to opt for temporary rentals where remains are exhumed after six years. Even then, there's a waiting list.
Related story: Europe's golden visas lure rich Chinese
So while the prospects for funeral directors look good, government curbs may take the edge off the industry's profits.
As part of a major crackdown on corruption, the Chinese government told officials in recent weeks to avoid lavishly spending on the deceased.
Beijing said government officials should instead set an example with "simple and civilized funerals," according to state media, rather than use them "to show off wealth and connections."
Under pressure over hazardous smog, the government is also pushing for more eco-friendly burials, requiring crematoriums to upgrade incinerators to control smoke pollution.

Daily Technical Analysis - Pre EU Open - 3rd January 2014

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Pre European Open, Daily Technical Analysis Friday, January 03, 2014

EUR/USD GBP/USD USD/JPY AUD/USD Gold Crude Oil

Please note that due to market volatility, some of the below sight prices may have already been reached and scenarios played out.

EUR/USD intraday: the downside prevails. Prev Next Pivot: 1.371 Most Likely Scenario: Short positions below 1.371 with targets @ 1.362 & 1.36 in extension. Alternative scenario: Above 1.371 look for further upside with 1.374 & 1.377 as targets. Comment: the pair stands below its resistance and remains under pressure. GBP/USD intraday: under pressure. Prev Next Pivot: 1.6495 Most Likely Scenario: Short positions below 1.6495 with targets @ 1.64 & 1.6365 in extension. Alternative scenario: Above 1.6495 look for further upside with 1.655 & 1.6605 as targets. Comment: the pair remains under pressure as the RSI is badly directed. USD/JPY intraday: the downside prevails. Prev Next Pivot: 104.5 Most Likely Scenario: Short positions below 104.5 with targets @ 104 & 103.8 in extension. Alternative scenario: Above 104.5 look for further upside with 104.85 & 105.15 as targets. Comment: the pair remains under pressure as the RSI is badly directed. AUD/USD intraday: bounce. Prev Next Pivot: 0.888 Most Likely Scenario: Long positions above 0.888 with targets @ 0.9 & 0.904 in extension. Alternative scenario: Below 0.888 look for further downside with 0.883 & 0.878 as targets. Comment: the pair has broken above its resistance and remains on the upside. Gold spot intraday: the bias remains bullish. Prev Next Pivot: 1213.00 Most Likely Scenario: LONG positions above 1213 with 1238 & 1244 as next targets. Alternative scenario: The downside breakout of 1213 will open the way to 1204 & 1194. Comment: the RSI is mixed to bullish. Crude Oil (Feb 14) intraday: rebound. Prev Top Pivot: 94.50 Most Likely Scenario: LONG positions above 94.5 with targets @ 96.5 & 97.45. Alternative scenario: The downside penetration of 94.5 will call for a slide towards 93 & 92.1. Comment: the RSI is posting a bullish divergence (not confirmed yet). Disclaimer Copyright The information contained herein is produced by ‘TRADING Central’ and not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial product. Any opinion offered in this material reflects the opinion of ‘TRADING Central’ and this is subject to change without notice. ‘TRADING Central’ is an investment research provider (http://www.tradingcentral.com/start.asp?p=quisommesnous).

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Chinese tycoon wants to buy The New York Times

An eccentric Chinese businessman with a penchant for publicity stunts is seeking to buy The New York Times Company. Chen Guangbiao, a rags-to-riches tycoon who made millions in the recycling business, said he would fly to New York on Friday to meet with a representative of The Times. With a net worth estimated at $810 million, Chen is known in China as a philanthropist -- even if his methods are somewhat unusual. To promote environmental causes, for example, Chen has distributed cans filled with "clean air." When it comes to The Times (NYT), Chen insists he is serious. "It's not a stunt," he said in a phone interview with CNN Thursday. "I have dreamed about the purchase for almost two years. I am very sincere about it." While company shares spiked on initial reports of Chen's interest, there are reasons to believe the bid will not come to fruition. The newspaper's publisher, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., who is also chairman of the Times Company, has said that the paper is not for sale. "Will our family seek to sell The Times?" Sulzberger said in August. "The answer to that is no." To ensure control of the company and discourage takeover attempts, the Ochs-Sulzberger family maintains a trust of Class B shares that come with special voting rights. Without the family's participation, Chen will be limited to buying publicly available Class A shares. Related story: China's booming business of burials Chen said that he is prepared to make an initial offer of $1 billion for the paper. The company currently has a market cap of $2.4 billion -- and Chen said he is "definitely willing to negotiate the price further." "I read some news and learned that The New York Times is worth about $4 billion," Chen said. "It's a difficult price for me personally, but I contacted several business tycoons in Hong Kong and they are willing to collaborate with me on this purchase." Chen said that he has contacted a "mid-level director" at The Times who had "agreed to help me negotiate." Eileen Murphy, a Times spokeswoman, told a Times reporter on Tuesday that she had no information about "any such meeting." Murphy declined further comment Thursday. "High level directors at The Times say to media outlets that they won't sell," Chen said, "but I plan to persist, and I hope my sincerity can finally help us make the deal." The Times has already made significant investments designed to attract readers in China, including a Chinese language website. But the site, along with its English language counterpart, has been blocked since 2012, when the paper published an investigation into the family wealth of former premier Wen Jiabao. Tensions remain high, and in recent weeks the paper went public with concerns that China might withhold visas for its journalists. In the unlikely event that his purchase is successful, Chen suggested that he would seek to change the paper's editorial focus. "I hope it could become a platform to publicize positive information on China," Chen said. "In the past, China has been misunderstood at many levels."

Could currency wars make a comeback in 2014?

Currency wars: the buzz word that dominated markets early last year threatens to make a comeback at the start of 2014, judging by a rise in official rhetoric from Japan's neighbors about a weak yen. South Korea is "closely monitoring" the won and the continuing depreciation of the yen, the country's Finance Minister Hyun Oh-seok was quoted saying on Friday. The comments follow similar remarks earlier in the week from Chinese and South Korean officials. (Read more: Yen set for worst year since YMCA topped the charts) Perhaps it's no wonder that concerns about the yen's sharp fall, which gives Japanese exporters an edge over its competitors in overseas markets, have resurfaced. The won on Thursday hit its strongest level in more than five years, contributing to a fall in South Korean stocks to a four-month low on Friday. The yen hit a 15-year low of around 5.7360 yuan on Thursday. (Read more: The Asian market laggard could shine in 2014) "You've got to understand what the threshold of pain for other Asian nations would be," said David Greene, had of dealing at AFEX Australia. "From a technical perspective, 112 [for dollar/yen] is possible this year. Whether other Asian economies such as South Korea see that as negative for their own economies and start to play an intervention role or enter a currency war within the region remains to be seen," he said. "It's not something I would like to bet on as we don't know what central banks are going to do." Genyuan Huang | E+ | Getty Images Verbal intervention from Japan's neighbors this week may have contributed to the bounce in the Japanese currency against the won, yuan and U.S. dollar on Friday. The yen traded at about 104.36 to the greenback, off this week's five-year low around 105.44. In early 2013, talk of currency wars, triggered in part by the yen's sharp fall, dominated currency markets. That was before another big theme of 2014 emerged – talk of an unwinding of U.S. monetary stimulus. "It's really the yen crosses that we'll see a lot of the big moves in this year," Michael Woolfolk, managing director and senior currency strategist at BNY Mellon in New York told CNBC Asia's "Squawk Box." "It should put a lot of pressure on the emerging Asian currencies. We think they will push back, that there will be an escalation of currency wars and intervention is the most likely route," he added. The yen declined almost 22 percent against the dollar last year against a backdrop of aggressive monetary easing by the Bank of Japan and broad strength in the U.S. currency on talk of Fed tapering. It was the worst performing major currency of 2013. (Read more: Abenomics scorecard: A for early initiative, 'C' for follow-through) "The yen/won movements have not hit exporters significantly, but it does look like they [the South Korean authorities] are taking a pre-emptive approach so the noises they've made this week are not unusual," said Mizuho Corporate Bank Market Economist Vishnu Varathan. "We're not looking at exceptionally strong currencies across emerging markets, so I think it will be just the export-focused north Asia that continue to make noise about their strong currencies," he added.

Ada Dana Rp 16,6 Triliun untuk Beasiswa di 50 Kampus Terbaik Dunia, Berminat?

Jakarta -Siang ini Menteri Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan M. Nuh mendatangi kantor Kementerian Keuangan di Wahidin Raya, Jakarta Pusat. Agendanya untuk menyiapkan program beasiswa bernama presidential scholarship dan government scholarship. Nuh menuturkan program tersebut dipersiapkan untuk tahun 2014. Nantinya akan berlanjut pada tahun-tahun selanjutnya. Meskipun sudah ada pergantian pemerintahan dan presiden. "Dana beasiswa pendidikan Indonesia untuk tahun 2014, yang tadi sudah kita rumuskan, nanti ada dua kelompok beasiswa dari dana pendidikan itu. Namanya presidential scholarship sama government scholarship," ujarnya saat meninggalkan Gedung Djuanda, Kemenkeu, Senin (30/12/2013) Ia mengatakan program ini ditujukan untuk warga negara Indonesia yang ingin melanjutkan sekolah S2 dan S3. Untuk presidential scholarship, beasiswanya bernilai lebih besar, dikhususkan untuk 50 perguruan tinggi terbaik di dunia. "Itu untuk anak-anak yang masuk 50 perguruan tinggi terbaik di dunia, jadi mereka yang mereka diterima, itu mendapat Presidential Scholarship. Kalau yang lain ya biasa aja," ujarnya. Anggaran yang dibutuhkan sebesar Rp 16,6 triliun untuk program tersebut. Sementara itu, untuk calon penerima beasiswa, menurut Nuh tidak dibatasi. Tujuannya agar semangat untuk sekolah semakin tinggi. "Total yang kita punya Rp 16,6 triliun," kata Nuh.