James Ryan Jonas

'No Classes' announcement – August 9 and 10, 2012

AuManila flood August 2012Several schools, colleges, and universities within and outside Metro Manila have already announced that classes have been suspended on August 9, 2012 (Thursday) and August 10, 2012 (Friday).
On August 9, some schools — including Claret School in Quezon City, Xavier School in Greenhills, San Juan, and De La Salle University in Taft, Manila — already said that there will be no more classes this week and will resume on Monday, August 13.

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Standard Chartered may lose NY banking license due to Iran scandal

“You f*cking Americans. Who are you to tell us, the rest of the world, that we’re not going to deal with Iranians.”

That obscene statement was how a London executive of Standard Chartered bank allegedly replied to a warning issued by the head of its U.S. unit that the bank’s dealings with Iran could cause “catastrophic reputational damage” and “serious criminal liability.”

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2012 Peso-Dollar Exchange Rate Forecast

UPDATED: Check out the latest Peso-Dollar Exchange rate and other currency exchange rates here: Peso Exchange Rate vs. USD, AED, HKD, SGD, KWD, QAR, SAR, GBP, EURO, JPY

What would the Peso-Dollar exchange rate be by the end of the year?

If we only knew the answer, no doubt that we would be very, very rich. Imagine being able to accurately hedge currencies. Or to know the correct timing to convert US Dollars to Philippine Peso. Or to be able to invest all your money in the currency that would rise in value. Whew, if we only knew.

We looked at some exchange rate predictions issued by top investment analysts in the country that we can use as guide.

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Top Gainers and Losers – World Stock Market Index (2012 1H)

As Europe finds itself being stuck in bigger economic turmoil, investors are moving out of the Eurozone and dumping their money in emerging markets where risks are relatively lower but with yields that are more promising.

Benefiting from the outflow of investors’ cash in problem-laden North America and Europe are emerging markets such as Venezuela, Pakistan, Turkey, the Philippines, and Estonia whose stock markets posed the highest returns during the first six months of 2012.

Below is a complete list of the year-to-date performance of stock markets around the world.

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Top 10 Philippine Cities: Per Capita Income, Tax Revenues

The cities of Makati, Tagaytay, and Pasig are the top three cities in the Philippines in terms of per capita income in 2009, while the cities of Bayawan (Negros Oriental), San Fernando (Pampanga), and San Jose Del Monte (Bulacan) are the bottom-dwellers. This is according to a May 2012 report by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB).

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Citibank update: Francis Bryan Ang indicted for qualified theft

Here’s an update to one of the recent high-profile banking scandals in the country. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has found probable cause in the qualified theft case filed by Citibank against its former employee, Francis Bryan Ang, who supposedly ran away with more than P135 million of clients’ funds.

The DOJ has recommended the filing of 87 counts of qualified theft through falsification of commercial documents against Francis Bryan Ang, a former assistant vice president of Citibank’s Citigold Wealth Management Group and Relationship Manager of Citibank Binondo branch.

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