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Art Investment in 2012

A note published by Bloomberg News reports that The Scream, one of the major works by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, may sell for at least US $80 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York next May. This 1895 pastel on board is one of four versions of the composition, the only one left in private hands. According to Internet site Compare the Financial Markets 2012 is a good year for making an art investment: “not only did the art market performed better than the equity market in 2011, but it has also gone more mainstream, becoming thus more accessible for investors not familiar with art investments” says a text that offers four tips for investors. On 2011 The Card Players, the painting of Paul Cezanne was bought by the emirate of Qatar for US $250 million, the most ever paid for a work of art.

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Wal-Mart Profits Rise 5.4%

Wal-Mart is the world’s biggest retailer. It runs chains of large department stores and warehouse stores. According to the Forbes Global 2000 list it is the world’s 18th largest public corporation and the biggest private employer in the world with over two million employees. In its quarterly report for the three months to January 31 the company turned in a net income of US $5.2 billion, up 3.4% compared with the same period in the previous year, explains a note published by BBC News. The company’s chief executive Mike Duke said that the company has been cutting prices to tempt the shoppers: “Core customers remain cautious about their finances and they rely on Wal-Mart’s every day low price promise to help them manage through today’s economic challenges.”

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Rousseff Promises Stimuli to Promote Exports

The Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff has said that her government will implement fiscal and credit access measures to stimulate exports and production with the purpose of gaining competitiveness in the context of global crisis. In an official release the Brazilian executive said: “This year we will expand fiscal incentives to domestic production and exports. Credit will be awarded in more adequate conditions to help stimulate innovation, creation of jobs and further measures of trade defense”. Mrs. Rousseff believes that her country’s economy will keep growing: “We are certain that Brazil will be one of the countries in the world stage that will have significant growth rates, in spite of the adverse global conditions”, she asserted.

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Moody’s Warning on Financial Institutions

Last Thursday the rating agency Moody’s warned that it may cut the rating of 17 global and 114 European financial institutions. According to the editors of MercoPress, South Atlantic Press Agency, this warning shows that the impact of the euro zone crisis is spreading throughout the global financial system. The banks and securities firms affected by this movement include UBS, Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley. In a statement the agency said: “Capital markets firms are confronting evolving challenges, such as more fragile funding conditions, wider credit spreads, increased regulatory burdens and more difficult operating conditions”.

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A Challenging Year for Nestlé

Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé is the world’s largest food and nutrition company. It operates in 86 countries around the world and employs over 280,000 people. The firm has reported 2011 profits of US $10.2 billion, up 8.1% in 2010. Paul Bulcke, the firm’s chief executive, considered 2011 as a challenging year and informed he did not expect 2012 to be easier. According to data presented by the company, its business in emerging markets grew 13.3%; on the other hand, developed markets —including Europe— grew only 4.3%. It also suffered the effects of rising food prices across the world in 2011. Nestlé has about 6,000 brands with several products across a number of markets. Its most important sources of income are beverages and dairy products.

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