Vietnam's prime minister

elping to push up the price of SILVER to a 31-year high.



In Cote d'Ivoire the internationally recognised winner of November's disputed presidential election extended a ban he has imposed on COCOA exports from his country, in an effort to make the incumbent president stand aside. Cocoa stocks are piling up in ports, increasing the chance of the beans decaying. There was more violence in the west African country this week.



APPLE'S board of directors was challenged by investors at the annual general meeting to reveal the succession plan it has drawn up to replace Steve Jobs should the chief executive not return from medical leave. In a vote shareholders backed the board, which argues that disclosing the plan now would only help competitors. Mr Jobs did not attend the meeting.



WAL-MART reported another poor quarter in America, with revenue dipping again from stores that have been open for at least a year. Sales from the retailer's international business, which accounts for around a quarter of its profit, boosted its overall results. Wal-Mart is facing stout competition at home from the spread of discount chains that offer even-cheaper goods to consumers who feel particularly cash-strapped.



HUAWEI, China's biggest maker of telecoms equipment, reversed course and accepted the recommendation of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States that it revoke its acquisition of assets owned by 3Leaf, an American technology company. Huawei had already bought the assets, but officials at the Pentagon asked the CFIUS, which considers the national-security implications of takeovers, for its opinion. If Huawei had persisted, the White House would have had to rule on the deal.



ALIBABA'S chief executive and chief operating officer both resigned after taking responsibility for a scandal at the Chinese e-commerce website, in which some 2,300 online dealers conned their customers. The sellers had used fake documents to set up their businesses on the site, allegedly with the help of a small number of Alibaba staff.



An experiment conducted by the Nottingham School of Economics suggested that the payment of BONUSES to workers did not encourage greater effort, and actually led to more shirking. But when penalties are introduced for slacking, worker efficiency is enhanced, reducing shirking by half.







Vietnam Takes Aim at Curbing Inflation

The Wall Street Journal 21 February 2011



Vietnam's prime minister is expected to unveil a series of measures this week aimed at curbing inflation as the government faces increasing pressure to bring greater stability to the volatile economy. State Bank of Vietnam Gov. Nguyen Van Giau confirmed the pending announcement after state media reported that Vietnam has trimmed its 2011 credit-growth target to below 20% from 23%. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a proposal from Mr. Giau to cut the target to below 20%, possibly as low as 18%, online news provider VnEconomy quoted the governor as saying. Mr. Giau said the move will likely cut the total money supply by 50 trillion dong ($2.38 billion), according to the report.
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