Asia stocks drift ahead of ECB meeting

An investor gestures in front of the stock price monitor at a private securities company in Shanghai, China, Wednesday Sept. 5, 2012. Weaker-than-expected U.S. manufacturing figures, just days after China announced its own production slowdown, sent Asian stock markets down Wednesday. (AP Photo)

An investor gestures in front of the stock price monitor at a private securities company in Shanghai, China, Wednesday Sept. 5, 2012. Weaker-than-expected U.S. manufacturing figures, just days after China announced its own production slowdown, sent Asian stock markets down Wednesday. (AP Photo)

BANGKOK (AP) ? Asian stock markets drifted Thursday ahead of a European Central Bank meeting that analysts anticipate will announce a plan to support financially struggling European countries.

ECB President Mario Draghi is expected to unveil a new bond-buying program intended to bring down the high borrowing costs of Spain and Italy. Without some way to reduce the interest rates on the bonds they sell, the two nations could be pushed into asking for a bailout, following a path taken by Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Cyprus.

"It won't save Europe but it will keep Spanish yields and Italian yields down for now and give Europe's leaders another 3-6 months to come up with bigger and better plans for a real solution," said analysts at DBS Bank Ltd. in Singapore.

But analysts also expressed skepticism about whether the move was sufficient to resolve the debt crisis affecting the 17 nations that use the euro when the world's major economies are suffering sluggish growth.

"I do think reality is setting in, that there is only so much the ECB can do. At the end of the day, the macro data doesn't look great. So there's probably an inclination for the markets to drift until a lead comes in from the macro side," said Lorraine Tan, director at Standard & Poor's equity research in Singapore.

She said she didn't expect a big improvement in key economic data until the fourth quarter of 2012.

"If China starts to show better numbers that will make an impact. But we really don't expect to see too much change in the numbers until September data rolls around."

Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.1 percent to 8,667.70. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.2 percent to 19,110.22. But South Korea's Kospi gained 0.3 percent to 1,879.25, boosted by tech shares. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.7 percent to 4,308.80.

Benchmarks in Singapore and Taiwan fell while those in Indonesia, Thailand and mainland China rose.

South Korean technology giant Samsung Electronics rose 0.8 percent after saying sales of its Galaxy S3 smartphones topped the 20 million mark since its release in late May. LG Electronics added 1.7 percent.

On Wall Street, U.S. stock prices closed mixed, held in check by a warning from the package delivery company FedEx that its profits would be hurt because of a slowdown in the global economy. The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 0.1 percent at 13,047.48.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 0.1 percent to 1,403.44. The Nasdaq composite index lost 0.2 percent to 3,069.27.

Investors are also looking ahead to Friday's U.S. payrolls data for signs of life in the world's largest economy. Continued signs of weakness in the U.S. economy may help persuade the Federal Reserve to announce new action after its meeting next week.

Benchmark oil for October delivery was up 50 cents to $95.86 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 6 cents to finish at $95.36 per barrel on the Nymex on Tuesday.

In currencies, the euro rose to $1.2605 from $1.2599 late Wednesday in New York. The dollar rose to 78.43 yen from 78.41 yen.

___

Follow Pamela Sampson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/pamelasampson

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-09-06-World%20Markets/id-0c5a6ab6caa14c06926d0bf6bd5a503e

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Online Education Platform Desire2Learn Raises Massive $80M Round From NEA & OMERS Ventures

Desire2Learn, a Canadian online education startup that offers an increasingly popular cloud learning platform for higher education, K-12 and Fortune 1000 companies, just announced that it has raised a $80 million Series A round led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and OMERS Ventures. The company, which is based in RIM's hometown of Waterloo, Ontario, says that it plans to use this investment to bolster its customer service and cloud infrastructure, support global growth and to accelerate the development of its platform. Today's $80 million financing marks the first time the company has taken an outside investment and is actually the largest-ever VC investment in a Canadian software company.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/TmBNLwwiZ8U/

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INVESTING INSIGHTS: Here's How Weight-Loss Treatments are ...

Last year may have been a year of losses for obesity-fighting drug developers Arena Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ARNA), Vivus (NASDAQ:VVUS), and Orexigen Therapeutics (NASDAQ:OREX), but 2012 has already been a year for gains. Stock prices soared for all three companies in the past 12 months: 400 percent for Arena and 200 percent for each Vivus and Orexigen. These monster gains came from the approaching launch of new weight-loss drugs from each manufacturer.

Arena?s weight-loss pill Belviq became the first obesity drug approved by the Federal Drug Administration since Xenical in 1999. ?Its approval changed the fortunes for the entire obesity drug market, raising stock prices for Vivus who received FDA approval for a new drug Qsymia in July and Orexigen whose new drug Contrave is still in the testing stage.

Although obesity presents an ever growing problem to modern medicine, with 35 percent of Americans considered obese, the approval of weight-loss drugs has not been growing easier. ?Since many patients take these drugs for an extended period of time, all three of companies had significant regulatory hurdles in developing their drugs, and each one of the three drugs was rejected at one time by the FDA.

Don?t Miss: This FDA Scandal May Harm Drug Stocks

Belviq, which Arena?s marketing partner hopes to release by late 2012 or early 2013, consists of an entirely new chemical entity, and was cleared for use in chronic weight management in adult patients with an initial body mass index of 30 or greater and for patients with at least one weight related medical condition.

?The approval of this drug, used responsibly in combination with a healthy diet and lifestyle, provides a treatment option for Americans who are obese or are overweight,? said Director of the FDA?s center for drug evaluation and review Dr. Janet Woodcock, in a statement regarding Belviq.

Investing Insights: Are Alzheimer?s Drugs Catalyzing These Stock Prices?

Both Oreigen?s Contrave and Vivus? Qsymia combine two well-established drugs already approved by the FDA. ?Contrave contains low doses of naltrexone, an opiate antagonist, and bupropion, used to treat depression, and Qsymia contains phentermine, a stimulant and appetite suppressant, and topiramate, used to treat epilepsy.

Within three years, barring any further complications, all three drugs will be on the market. Qsymia is expected to launch by late this year, as is Belviq, while Contrave is expected by mid to late 2014. Those are some nice catalysts for business if you are a current or prospective shareholder.

Discover more stocks with?imminent catalysts.?Don?t waste another moment ??click here and get our CHEAT SHEET stock picks now.

To contact the reporter on this story: staff.writers@wallstcheatsheet.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: editors@wallstcheatsheet.com

Source: http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/investing-insights-heres-how-weight-loss-treatments-are-boosting-these-stocks.html/

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Virtual Intelligence Briefing ? American Business Continuity Domes ...

Alliance Will Accelerate Nationwide Development of Domes, with Initial Focus on Storm Shelter Domes

MIAMI, Sep 04, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) ? American Business Continuity Domes (ABC Domes), the U.S.-based developer and builder of disaster-resistant, steel-reinforced thin-shell concrete domes, has announced its strategic alliance with two of the most renowned dome design, engineering and construction firms in the world, Dome Technology and ES2 Engineering System Solutions.

This powerful alliance well positions ABC Domes to continue on an aggressive expansion plan to build specialized commercial domes throughout the United States. The company presently has multi-dome business continuity facilities in Lakeland, Florida, a LEED Silver rated dome in Sealy, Texas and a school dome, under construction in Hammon, Oklahoma. ABC Domes? structures provide near absolute protection from hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and fires, and are utilized by a variety of industries for purposes ranging from secure storage to disaster recovery and business continuity. The domes are built for use as:

? FEMA Storm Shelter Domes

? Disaster Recovery Command Centers

? Emergency Equipment and Vehicle Storage

? Bulk Storage

? Records/Data Warehousing and Inventory

? Community Centers

? Sports Arenas and Gymnasiums

? Churches

? Offices

? Schools

? IT Server Parks

? Data Centers

? Video Projection Domes

?We are proud to announce this alliance with Dome Technology and ES2 Engineering,? said Peter Fedele, Chief Executive Officer of ABC Domes. ?These two powerhouse companies are internationally accomplished and are highly regarded in the industry for their break-through technology, their rock solid domes, and their uncompromising integrity in all aspects of business. We are fortunate to have these partners and the opportunities that our combined and powerful resources afford us. There is growing interest in our product and services, especially when natural disasters make headlines again,? continued Mr. Fedele.

ABC Domes are far superior to traditionally constructed buildings. Because of their strong and ergonomic shape, and use of superior building materials, they are virtually unaffected by time, weather, seismic activity, or manmade assault, thus meeting FEMA?s standards for near-absolute survivability. The domes, built to withstand wind speeds of 300 miles per hour, are the most disaster-resistant structures that can be built, and at a price-to-value ratio more favorable than traditional construction.

Dome Technology is a world-leader and premier builder of insulated steel reinforce concrete domes. Over the past 30 years, they have successfully completed 500 domes throughout the United States and internationally. As a team, ABC Domes and Dome Technology possess more than 45 years of proven experience in the creation of thin-shell concrete domes.

ES2 Engineering System Solutions is a full-service, licensed, and insured structural, electrical, plumbing and mechanical engineering company, and a Building Systems Commissioning firm. In the area of steel reinforced, thin-shell concrete domes, ES2 has advanced design and analysis skills not found in any other professional firm in the world. ES2 has been the engineer of record for the vast majority of reinforced concrete shells constructed globally, using the air formed method.

For further information, please contact Peter Fedele at 305.633.3336, or Lisa Schunack at 305.441.8580. Or, visit:

 www.abcdomes.com www.dometech.com www.es2eng.com

SOURCE: ABC Domes

Source: http://www.vibriefing.com/2012/09/american-business-continuity-domes-announces-strategic-alliance-with-dome-technology-and-es2-engineering-system-solutions/

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VOTE! Would You Wear These Bold Celeb Styles?

Would you wear these outfits? You be the judge about the stars' (Gwen! Keira!) fashion choices

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/celebrity-style-were-iffy-about-likes-or-yikes/1-b-67322?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Acelebrity-style-were-iffy-about-likes-or-yikes-67322

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Ryan praises Bill Clinton on day of his DNC speech

ADEL, Iowa (AP) ? Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan heaped praise on Bill Clinton on Wednesday and compared President Barack Obama unfavorably to him, just hours before the former president was to address the Democratic National Convention.

Campaigning in Iowa, Ryan cited Clinton as the inspiration for some changes the GOP ticket led by Mitt Romney is proposing. Ryan also credited Clinton for signing legislation aimed at reducing federal budget deficits, while painting Obama as a failure.

"Under President Clinton we got welfare reform," Ryan told an audience outside a small-town courthouse west of Des Moines. "President Obama is rolling back welfare reform. President Clinton worked with Republicans in Congress to have a budget agreement to cut spending. President Obama, a gusher of new spending."

Ryan, a seven-term House member from Wisconsin, said a Clinton administration commission to study the future of Medicare inspired the GOP proposal to offer seniors a choice of traditional Medicare or a fixed government payment that could be used to buy private coverage.

"It's an idea that came out of the Clinton commission to save Medicare," Ryan said.

Ryan reminded the audience of supporters that the national debt surpassed $16 trillion this week on the first day of the Democratic convention in Charlotte, N.C.

"That's a country in decline," Ryan said.

Ryan blames Obama for the spending, and said there will be "a lot of talk" at the Democratic convention, but no new solutions.

"We're going to hear a lot of things in Charlotte, but we're not going to hear a convincing argument that we're better off than we were four years ago," Ryan said, standing in front of a new backdrop with the words: "Are you better off?"

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ryan-praises-bill-clinton-day-dnc-speech-165930375--election.html

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Real Estate Weekly ? Blog Archive ? Two birds, one stone ...

ELI LOEBENBERG

By Eli S. Loebenberg, CPA, CEO,
Madison SPECS

Over the last several years, the use of cost segregation studies as a means of lowering income taxes has gone from being a niche practice utilized by the savviest of real estate investors to an almost standard part of purchasing commercial real estate properties, whenever applicable.
This has come about for two reasons.

First, the increase in boutique service providers has allowed greater market coverage.

In the past, only the larger accounting firms offered this service to their clients. The opening of exclusive, cost segregation-only practices has allowed even the smallest property owners to reap the benefits of a cost segregation study.

Additionally, general industry knowledge of the concept ? that of merging the combined specialties of engineering and tax accounting to accelerate the depreciation of commercial real estate ? has continuously increased via networking, social media, and educational seminars at real estate industry conferences.

Despite its increase in understanding and popularity, there is one aspect of cost segregation studies, though, that is still widely unknown and underutilized, leaving additional (sometimes considerable) tax benefits on the table for property owners and investors.
That is the ?write-off? portion which is applicable when a property is undergoing renovations.

To best appreciate this idea, it is important to first understand the underlying basis (pun intended) for any depreciation of property.
The IRS allows a business owner to deduct any expenses necessary for the running of the business. Any item that is generally consumed immediately, such as office supplies for example, are allowed to be deducted or written off completely, within the year those expenses are incurred.

Investment property, however, as per IRS direction, gets ?used up? or consumed over 39 years for commercial property and 27.5 years for residential property. That requires the deductions of the money spent on them to be spread out over those periods of time.

These long periods pertain only to the actual structure of the building, together with anything necessary for its essential operating use.
Cost segregation gets involved when discussing any items which fall outside of the ?base building? category.

Generally, decorative, ornamental, task-related or non-essential components inside the building can be depreciated over a five-year or seven-year period, under an accelerated method, and any land improvements that surround the building fall into the 15-year depreciation category, under an accelerated method.

What happens, however, if you get rid of something that was previously classified as belonging to the five-year category, before those five years are up?

The same question applies for the 15 and 27.5/39 year buckets.

The answer is that you can immediately write those assets off today, assuming you can properly quantify their remaining net value. Being that those items no longer exist, you have, literally and figuratively, ended their life cycles. Your original investment into that item has completed its course.

Hotels, nursing homes and multifamily properties are prime examples, although certainly not the only examples, of properties that are typically renovated ? sometimes extensively ? upon trading hands. At the very least, substantial upgrades are needed to get the property in line with the investment plans of the new owner.

Many hotel chains require, as part of a way to increase ?per-room rates,? immediate substantial renovations on properties that don?t need any work.

These renovations create a golden opportunity to not only maximize the benefits of cost segregation for the items originally purchased, as well as the new items installed during the renovation, but a third benefit is to now identify any and all assets that were part of the originally purchased asset, but were destroyed during the demolition phase of the renovations at the property.

It is these assets that may be written off entirely. Each kitchen cabinet, yard of carpeting, area of asphalt and parking sign represents money that may be hitting the bottom line expense by deducting such assets from the basis of the property. All that is needed is a careful, detailed indexing of these items as they are removed.

Case in Point: Multi-Family Renovation. For example, during a recent study that we performed on a garden-style, multifamily renovation, we were able to identify a full 25 percent of the original purchase price for immediate write off.

This added millions of dollars to the savings that would already be generated by the standard cost segregation study on the property. These numbers are typical, and can actually be higher depending on the nature of the renovation.

The problem is that, in many cases, the property owner fails to capitalize on this opportunity, allowing the original items to sit on the tax books and continue their course of depreciation, even though they are now considered ?ghost assets,? since they are no longer in existence (i.e. ?in service?).

The old carpeting, for example, may no longer exist in the building but it still exists on the tax books.

This is often overlooked for one of two reasons. In some cases, the property owner puts off doing a cost segregation study until the renovations have been completed.

Failing to properly catalog and quantify the components of the building before they are torn out makes it impossible to pinpoint accurately what was removed, therefore no longer allowing them to be written off immediately and taken off the tax books.

In other cases, the owner may actually have had full cost segregation studies performed on both the original purchase as well as all of the new components added during the renovation, but they did not have the sophistication necessary to complete the write-off component.

Recently the IRS issued new Regulations (TD 9564) on how to treat amounts paid to acquire, produce, or improve tangible property.

Included in the new regulations is the ?unit of property? concept. These new Regulations reaffirm the concept of a write-off study. Previously, a building was treated as one unit; all renovation work was viewed within its relationship to the entire building.

This allowed for the immediate expensing of repairs. Under the ?unit of property? concept, a building is broken down into as many as nine structural components, with each component viewed as its own unit. While this severely limits the ability to deduct these expenses in the year incurred, with careful planning, it allows the opportunity for the taxpayer to take retirement losses for assets removed in the renovation.

The only caveat to this is when the renovations are so substantial and immediate that the IRS may consider the original purchase an acquisition of land, allocating the entire purchase price as such, and thus negate any possibility of a write off from the discarded components.

This would require a proper valuation of the original purchase to determine what value would be placed on each of the assets at the time of purchase. Every situation is different, and the exact point at which this would apply is for the property owner?s accountant and a cost segregation specialist to advise.

The perfect scenario for a property owner is to get a reputable, proactive cost segregation firm involved immediately, before any demolition of the property begins.

By taking it step-by-step, from purchase to demolition to the ultimate renovation, the property owner can most effectively utilize the life cycle of the investment and gain the greatest income tax benefit possible from the allowable deductions.

Source: http://www.rew-online.com/2012/09/05/two-birds-one-stone-leveraging-tax-benefits-to-your-advantage/

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