news blog from Haydee

BRIEF-Thai Oishi cuts profit, sales forecasts due to floods

* Expects 2011 sales growth of 10-20 percent versus earlier forecast 20 percent after it temporilary shut its plant from Oct. 17* Cuts its fourth-quarter sales target to 2.0-2.5 billion baht ($65-81 million) from 3 billion baht due to impact from floods* Says it may stop production for 3-6 months in worst-case scenario* Has inventory for food division of 11-14 days and 30 days for beverage division; its Nava Nakorn plant produces 64 million units of beverage products a month* Says its plant at Amata industrial estate runs normally at 15 million bottles a month($1 = 30.66 Baht)

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Eastern Long Island took worst of Irene - study

Oct 17 (Reuters) - The eastern end of Long Island suffered the highest insured losses in the United States from late August’s Hurricane Irene, followed closely by a coastal county in North Carolina, financial data company Verisk Analytics said on Monday.Verisk said Suffolk County, the New York area that includes the exclusive Hamptons region, topped the list of 191 hurricane-affected counties nationwide with more than $200 million in insured property damage.Just behind Suffolk County and also with more than $200 million in damage was Dare County, North Carolina, which includes Outer Banks communities like Nags Head and Kitty Hawk.Three other counties had more than $150 million in damage, Verisk said, including western Long Island’s Nassau County, Monmouth County in New Jersey and Worcester County in Maryland.Irene was the first hurricane to make landfall in the United States in three years. Estimates of the total damage it caused have varied widely, ranging from $1.8 billion up to $7.1 billion.

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Seoul shares seen lower after gaining streak

Banking stocks like KB Financial Group could come under pressure after JPMorgan Chase & Co’s quarterly earnings fell 25 percent, dragging U.S. financial stocks lower overnight.Shares sensitive to exchange rates, such as refiner S-Oil and Korean Air Line will also be followed due to recent volatility in the foreign exchange market, Kim added.Auto and tech exporters could be buoyed after news a free trade agreement between the United States and South Korea was passed by Congress.[ID:nN1E79C0JL ]The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) finished up 0.75 percent at 1,823.10 points on Thursday.———————-MARKET SNAP SHOT @ 22:24 GMT —————————INSTRUMENT LAST PCT CHG NET CHG S&P 500 1,203.66 -0.3% -3.590 USD/JPY 76.83 -0.04% -0.030 10-YR US TSY YLD 2.182 — -0.030 SPOT GOLD $1,666.45 0.02% 0.250 US CRUDE CLc1 $84.39 0.19% 0.160 DOW JONES 11478.13 -0.35% -40.72 ASIA ADRS 118.21 -0.16% -0.19 ——————————————————————————————— >JPMorgan drags blue chips down; Google up late >Prices gain after recent losses; downturn intact >Euro edges off a near one-month high vs dollar >Brent snaps six-day rally as China imports fallSTOCKS TO WATCHLG ELECTRONICSMoody’s cut its outlook on LG Electronics to negative from stable.SAMSUNG ELECTRONICSA U.S. judge said Samsung’s Galaxy tablets do infringe Apple’s iPad patents, but also said Apple might have a problem establishing the validity of its patents.POSCOThe world’s No.3 steelmaker has decided to slash capital expenditure this year by about 1 trillion won ($857 million), as steel markets shrink amid the global economic slowdown, according to a local media report late on Thursday.LG INTERNATIONALLG International Corp has suspended its commercial vehicle importing business, according to a local media report.

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UPDATE 1-Apple’s iPhone 4S goes on sale, fans say tribute to Jobs

* iPhone 4S sales a tribute to late Steve Jobs, say fans* Reviewers rave about Siri, but otherwise no revolutionBy Michael PerrySYDNEY, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Apple Inc’s iPhone 4S finally went on sale in stores around the globe on Friday, with fans snapping up the final gadget unveiled during Steve Jobs’ lifetime, many buying the phone as a tribute to the former Apple boss.”I think a lot of people are going to buy the iPhone 4S because it was the last iPhone Steve worked on,” said Wil Batterham, 15, who with his school friend Tom Mosca were the first to buy the new phone in Sydney’s Apple store.”People are saying it was named after him, like iPhone 4S, for Steve,” said Batterham.Asked what will be the first function they use on the iPhone 4S, Mosca replied: “Ask where’s Steve?”, refering to the phone’s “Siri” voice-activated software.Hundreds queued around the block of the Sydney Apple store, many rugged up against the chilly morning, as Apple staff chatted and clapped a countdown to the store opening. Apple’s 13 Australian stores were the first to open their doors at 8.00 a.m. local time (2100 GMT, Thursday) to sell the iPhone 4S.CEO Tim Cook and his executive team hope the first device launched without Apple’s former visionary leader at the helm, will safeguard their global market share lead.The iPhone 4S — introduced to the world just a day before Jobs died — was dubbed a disappointment because it fell short of being a revolution in design, but glowing reviews centered around its “Siri” voice-activated software have since helped it set a record pace in initial, online sales orders.Apple fans showed no disappointment in Sydney on Friday as they queued to purchase a new phone, ahead of sales in Japan, Germany, France, Britain and North America.”It’s the only phone, I have upgraded my iPhone each time,” said 19-year-old Mark Du.Apple said it did not release sales figures on launch day, so gauging the initial sales may be difficult. Apple said it had taken more than 1 million online orders in the first 24 hours after its release, exceeding the 600,000 for the iPhone 4, though that model was sold in fewer countries.Some analysts expect fourth-quarter iPhone shipments of as much as 30 million or more, almost double from a year ago.Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone uses chips from Qualcomm Inc , Toshiba and a host of smaller semiconductor companies, according to repair firm iFixit, which cracked the device open on Thursday.First-day sales of Apple gadgets are typically a jubilant celebration around the world, but Apple has conspicuously avoided any mention or showcase of Jobs for the iPhone 4S global sales, preferring a more “business as usual” approach.However Apple fans in Sydney made sure Jobs was part of the launch, with a small flower, candle and photo shrine outside the glass-fronted store.SPEECH RECOGNITION A WINNERAnalysts say Cook needs to move out from under his former mentor’s enormous shadow soon, and avoid clinging to the Jobs’ mystique to preserve its brand.More immediately, with Google Inc Android phones gaining momentum, Apple needs the iPhone 4S to be a blockbuster.The iPhone — seen as the market’s gold standard — is its highest-margin product and accounts for 40 percent of its annual revenue. It is the world’s biggest selling smartphone, maintaining a slim market-share lead over Samsung’s Galaxy, at 18.4 versus 17.8 percent worldwide.In a sign of how tough the competition is, two doors along from the Sydney Apple store, Samsung has been selling its new Galaxy SII for only A$2 to its first 10 customers each day, prompting Samsung fans to also camp out on the footpath.But analysts point to several factors in Apple’s favor: a $199 price that matches up well with rival devices such as Amazon.com Inc’s “Fire” tablet; availability promised on more than 100 carriers by the end of 2011, far more than its predecessors; and glowing reviews.Apple’s iconic smartphone comes with a faster processor and a better and more light-sensitive camera, but little else to separate it from its predecessor. But tech experts say the real gems lie beneath the phone’s familiar sleek casing.Influential reviewers Walt Mossberg and David Pogue raved about “Siri” — a voice-command activated assistant that responds to spoken commands and questions in context, such as queries about the weather or a friend’s phone number.But Mossberg added that “despite Siri, the iPhone 4S isn’t a dramatic game-changer”.

More trans fat in pregnancy tied to bigger baby

The study did not prove that trans fats alone boost fetal growth, and if they did, it is unclear how harmful that could be. But there are risks to having a larger-than-normal newborn, said lead researcher Juliana Cohen, of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.Big babies may have to be delivered by Ceasarean-section and studies have found that they may have increased risks of diabetes and heart disease later in life, Cohen added.”It’s prudent to limit trans fats in your diet anyway. Pregnant women may want to think about how (the fats) could affect fetal growth as well,” she said.Artificial trans fats are found in foods that contain partially hydrogenated oils, including many baked and fried packaged foods like chips, crackers and cookies, as well as fast food.Some meat and dairy products contain natural trans fats, but people get the bulk of their trans fat in the artificial form - although food producers and some restaurants have been cutting back in response to poor publicity.The latest study was based on about 1,400 Boston-area women who gave birth between 1999 and 2002. The women completed dietary questionnaires during their first and second trimesters.The relationship between higher trans fat intake and birth size held even after researchers accounted for factors such as pre-pregnancy body weight, income, education and calorie intake.They calculated that for every 1 percent increase in trans fat as a replacement for carbohydrates in a woman’s daily diet, her baby’s fetal growth “Z score” — which takes into account a newborn’s birth weight and the week of pregnancy during which the baby was born — inched up slightly.Cohen said that while the effects of this would likely be limited in later life, the foods that contain trans fats were best limited for overall health.Unfortunately, she added, these sorts of foods are often the ones women crave during pregnancy.