MillerCoors knocks Bud from No. 2 beer spot

January 5, 2012 – 4:00 am

Coors Light has been gaining on the King of Beers for years, and analysts began predicting its rise to No. 2 last year. Indeed, Chicago-based MillerCoors was so confident that Chief Marketing Officer Andy England brashly told distributors early last year that “Budweiser is going down, baby.”

Still, Bud has enjoyed improving trends lately, raising some speculation that it might be able to hold off Coors Light at least temporarily. But according to Beer Marketer’s Insights, Bud still finished 2011 down 4.6% in shipments. And while that was the brand’s slowest decline in years, it was still not enough to keep ahead of Coors Light, which gained 0.8%, the publication reported.

In total, Coors Light shipped 18.2 million barrels, while Budweiser ended 2011 at 17.7 million, according to Beer Marketer’s Insights, which is considered the most respected keeper of beer marketshare data.

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Tags: Beer, Bud No

Gold prices rose VND600,000 per tael at the opening session of November 8

January 4, 2012 – 12:00 am

Gold prices in most jewellery shops in the country rose VND600,000 per tael at the opening session of November 8.

Gold was listed VND45.9 million-VND46.2 million per tael at Bao Tinh Minh Chau Jewelry Company in Hanoi and at VND46.2 million-VND46.4 million by Sacombank Jewelry Company (SBJ) and Saigon Jewelry Company in Ho Chi Minh City.

Domestic gold is still VND400,000 higher than elsewhere in the world, even though the public debt crisis in Europe has driven the price of gold to US$1,800 per ounce.

Meanwhile, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has maintained the interbank exchange rate of VND20,803 per US dollar for 11 successive days. VOV

Tags: Gold Prices, November, Opening Session

Stumbling Giants Will Fall to the Rested Saints

January 2, 2012 – 11:06 am

The final game of week 12 has the New York Giants heading to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to take on the New Orleans Saints .

The Giants have lost their momentum and could be on the verge of another late season collapse having lost their last two games and fallen to second place behind Dallas in the NFC East. They are in a brutal stretch of schedule with no room for error with games against the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys following tonight’s matchup with the Saints.

The Giants come in behind QB Eli Manning who is fifth in the league with 298.7 yards per game and a rating of 97.0. WR receiver Victor Cruz has been Eli’s main target averaging 17.4 yards per reception. The Giants will have to pick up their run game with Ahmad Bradshaw still sidelined by a foot injury. Brandon Jacobs has been averaging only 3.2 yards per carry and the Giants are dead last in the league with 82.2 yards per game. The

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Tags: Saints

Fed to regularly forecast interest-rate changes

December 30, 2011 – 3:20 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a major shift, the Federal Reserve will start announcing four times a year how long it plans to keep short-term interest rates at existing levels, according to minutes from its December policy meeting.

The shift marks the Feds latest effort to make its communications with the public more open and explicit.

The change is intended to reassure consumers and investors that they will be able to borrow cheaply well into the future. And some economists said it could lead to further Fed action to try to invigorate the economy.

The Feds first forecast for interest rates will be included in the economic projections it will issue after its Jan. 24-25 policy meeting.

More guidance on rates might help lower long-term yields further — in effect providing a kind of stimulus. Lower rates could lead consumers and businesses to borrow and spend more. The

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Tags: Fed, Fed Forecast

UK’s unemployment level hits 17-year high

December 15, 2011 – 8:31 am

Austerity measures, prolonged economic weakness and a eurozone crisis have taken their toll on Britain’s work force, with figures published on Wednesday showing the number of people unemployed is at the highest level for 17 years.

Britain’s government has staked its reputation on a strategy of cutting costs and jobs in the public sector while trying to boost private sector growth. Today’s unemployment data, which shows that unemployment is rising and that women and young people are feeling the worst effects, raises doubts over whether that strategy is working, and leaves Prime Minister David Cameron open to criticism that he is taking away opportunities for some parts of society.

The highest level since 1994, 2.64 million people were unemployed in Britain at the end of October 128 000 more than in the previous quarter, according to government statistics. Read all post…