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| Rights On Wheels |
| THE Philippine Commission on Human Rights marked its 25th anniversary this month by launching its Human Rights on Wheels programme, which seeks to educate people about their rights and provide victims ways of going after their abusers... |
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| Statins Lower Risk of Stroke in Elderly |
| THE widely used class of cholesterol-lowering medications known as statins may help elderly patients with high blood pressure avoid developing atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm abnormality tied to stroke. ... |
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 | Facebook's IPO already oversubscribed: Source FACEBOOK'S record initial public offering is already oversubscribed, a source familiar with the share listing said, days after the world's largest social network embarked on a cross-country roadshow to drum up investor enthusiasm.
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| | JPMorgan's $2bn loss spooks bank stocks | | MAJOR bank stocks fell sharply on Friday after JPMorgan Chase surprised investors by announcing a $2 billion trading loss.
JPMorgan's stock dropped 9 percent in early trading, the most of the 30 stocks in the Dow Jones industrial average. Gains in technology, energy and other stocks mitigated the losses. After the first half-hour of trading the Dow was off 18 points at 12,837.
Broader market indicators were mixed. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell one point to 1,356 and the Nasdaq composite index, which is weighted toward technology stocks, edged up eight points to 2,942.
The direction for financial stocks was clear. JPMorgan led other bank stocks sharply lower after its late on Thursday disclosure of a $2 billion loss at a London trading unit.
JPMorgan's blunder comes in the midst of a political battle over how closely to regulate banks, though JP Morgan's CEO Jamie Dimon said the trades would not have been affected by the so-called Volcker rule, expected to take effect this summer.
That didn't stop investors from cutting their exposure to the financial sector. Bank of America fell 2.2 percent, Morgan Stanley was down 4.2 percent, Citigroup fell 3.8 percent, and Goldman Sachs fell 3.9 percent.
Also on Friday, the Labour Department said that the producer price index, which measures price changes before they reach the consumer, dropped 0.2 percent last month. | | | Emerging economies bolster oil demand | | OIL demand from emerging countries this year will offset lower consumption by advanced economies in the OECD, the International Energy Agency said on Friday.
In its monthly report, the IEA said global demand growth would gradually accelerate throughout 2012 from close to zero growth in the first quarter to an expansion of 1.2 million barrels per day by the fourth quarter.
"Global oil consumption is set to rise by 0.8 million barrels per day in 2012, to 90 mbd, with gains in the non- OECD more than offsetting declining OECD demand," the IEA said.
The modest upside revision is attributable to marginally improved economic growth numbers provided by the International Monetary Fund, the agency said.
"The world's four biggest markets — China, the US, Europe and Japan — should dominate the demand story in 2012," the IEA said.
Chinese demand growth is forecast to maintain its global dominance in 2012, at 0.4 mbd to 9.9 mbd or almost half of the total expansion worldwide.
But big declines are foreseen in Europe, down by 0.3 mbd to 13.9 mbd, and the United States, down 0.2 mbd to 18.7 mbd.
.... | | | Indian industrial output down 3.5%, pressure on RBI | | NEW DELHI INDIA'S industrial output shrank in March for the first time in five months, data on Friday showed, piling pressure on the central bank and other policymakers to act quickly to boost the stumbling economy.
Manufacturing, mining and electricity output in Asia's third-largest economy contracted by 3.5 percent from a year earlier, defying market expectations of a 1.5-percent rise.
"Growth risks have clearly gained prominence with today's numbers," HSBC's chief India economist Leif Eskesen said. "Industrial production fell flat on its nose," he added.
The weak numbers could push the central bank to cut interest rates again, economists said, after it reduced borrowing costs last month for the first time in three years in a bid to spur growth.
Manufacturing production shrank by 4.4 percent in March from a year earlier while output of capital goods such as factory equipment — a vital investment activity indicator and portent of future activity — contracted by 21 percent.
The slowdown gripping India's economy has been fed by weakening domestic and global demand, especially in the sovereign-debt-crisis hit euro zone.
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