Filed under: Economy , Investing Major indexes in Asia rose Wednesday with China’s Shanghai Composite Index gaining 1.1% to close at 3,270. In Hong Kong the Hang Seng Index added 8.0%, ending the day at 22,290 and in Japan, the Nikkei Index inched up 0.4% to 9,609. In China, real estate developers led gains as home buyers continued to take advantage of China’s government mandated incentives that are boosting sales and propping up prices. China Merchant’s Property Development soared 8%. The company creates European-style communities on the outskirts of major cities like Shanghai where stately developments called names like Hyde Garden are nestled among immaculately groomed gardens. The company is also branching out to up-and-coming cities like Tianjin where communities with names like Diamond Hill promise the most elegant of lifestyles , complete with heated swimming pools, yoga rooms and gleaming marble bathrooms. Gemdale, which also focuses on luxury properties, added 3.1%, Poly Real Estate gained 2.8% and China Vanke ( CVKEF ), one of the largest developers, added 2.2%. Continue reading Chinese investors plow money into luxury home companies; Asian banks and commodities post solid gains Chinese investors plow money into luxury home companies; Asian banks and commodities post solid gains originally appeared on DailyFinance on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Chinese investors plow money into luxury home companies; Asian banks and commodities post solid gains

Filed under: Media The good news: Magazine ad pages are actually up in the fourth quarter for the first time in a dog’s age. The bad news: Metropolitan Home won’t be around to enjoy it. Hachette Filipacchi Media just announced that it’s shutting down the shelter title following publication of its December issue, choosing to focus its limited resources on Elle Decor , its last remaining home-design magazine. A company spokeswoman says 13 editorial staffers have been let go, including editor-in-chief Donna Warner, along with a yet-to-be-determined number of business-side employees. Shelter publications have been hit especially hard by the advertising downturn of the past couple years — not surprisingly, considering that the recession was precipitated by the collapse of the housing bubble. Preceding Met Home into extinction were Home , another Hachette Filipacchi title, Conde Nast’s Domino and House & Garden , and Hearst’s O at Home , a spinoff of O, The Oprah Magazine . Continue reading Metropolitan Home magazine becomes latest recession victim Metropolitan Home magazine becomes latest recession victim originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Filed under: Energy , Technology , Economy Last Friday, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine cut the ribbon on an 18-kilowatt solar installation at an apartment complex in Patterson, New Jersey. The event marked a state milestone: according to the Governor, 4,000 solar installations, or 90 megawatts of solar power, have been installed in New Jersey. Corzine added that, seven years ago, there were only six solar installations. When one thinks of the refineries, chemical companies, smoke stacks and toxic waste of the Garden State, it seems surprising that New Jersey has risen to national prominence as a leader in solar power. Even so, according to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities’ Jeanne M. Fox, the state has more solar power installed per capita than California. Indeed, except for California, no other state has installed more solar power. Continue reading New Jersey’s solar boom: The battle between old and new energy New Jersey’s solar boom: The battle between old and new energy originally appeared on DailyFinance on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

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New Jersey’s solar boom: The battle between old and new energy