Japan

Photographer Rob Whitworth has created a number of beautiful time-lapse videos that have received huge numbers of views online. This past April, Whitworth had the opportunity to take his skills to the city of Da Nang, Vietnam to document the Danang International Fireworks Competition 2013, one of the world’s “biggest and best” firework contests. The video above documents the two nights on which the competition was held, and it also includes some glimpses of the day in between. There were 3 firework displays on the first night and 2 displays on the second. Leading firework makers from around the world — or more specifically, the US, Russian, Japan, Italy, and Vietnam — showed off their latest and greatest fireworks in the skies above the Han River. On the third night of the competition, the winning team is awarded the DIFC Trophy. This year it was the team from the United States that took home the prize. Here is a selection of the long-exposure photographs captured by Whitworth (these are the images that went into making the time-lapse video seen above): You can find more of Whitworth’s photography and time-lapse work over on his website.

  Jared Ashley will appear in front of a national TV audience TODAY on “AXS LIVE” at 11:00pm ET/8:00pm PT.  Fans can catch up with Jared and host Ashley Eicher from Zumi Restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee where the singer and songwriter recounts discovering his musical passions at a country bar in Japan while serving in the [...]

Filed under: Earnings, Banking, Economy, InvestingIt has been hard to ignore the rise in bond yields on the longer end of the Treasury curve in recent days. The market keeps looking for clues from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and even from regional Federal Reserve presidents. Now we have Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) looking for higher Treasury yields by the end of 2013. The call from Goldman Sachs may not look like much on the surface, but investors who are holding all of these 10-year Treasury notes and 30-year Treasury Bonds better understand that the safety they purchased in uncertain times could literally come with years' worth of interest and coupon payments gobbled up if rates rise handily. Goldman Sachs sees 10-year U.S. Treasury yields rising from 2.03% or so today to 2.25% in the next few months and to as high as 2.50% by the end of 2013. The firm also sees inflation-adjusted TIPS rising back into positive yields from negative yields as of now. Get ready for higher yields in Japan as well. Goldman is now expecting that Japanese Government Bond yields will rise to 1.0% rather than 0.8% by the end of 2013. So, what does this really mean to you and your money? Investors should not have to panic over a 50 basis point rise all that much on the surface. The problem is that once rates rise, they have historically not just risen by 50 basis points or so and then stabilized. Rate cycles have historically risen much more and the only difference now is that we are coming off of historic low yields and investors currently do not demand as high of a "return on capital" after a period that a "return of capital" was temporarily good enough. What investors need to brace for is what happens if rates rise 100 basis points or more say over the course of a year. If the 30-year long bond rises 100 basis points in a short period of time then the holder of that Treasury Bond will see the face value or market price of that bond fall by about 15% or a tad worse. Many investors do not realize the price risk in long-dated Treasury and other bonds because bonds have been in a secular bull market for so long. The real risk is if interest rates rise 150 basis points, 200 basis points, or even more. Most long-term Treasury investors are not really prepared for that sort of move. Most would even feel like they had been duped by the Fed and the government if the value of their long-term bond portfolio is suddenly worth 10%, 20%, or even 30% less than what they paid. Rates will ultimately go higher. What remains up for debate is when and by how much. Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Analyst Calls, Banking & Finance, Dividends & Buybacks, Economy Tagged: GS Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

After a few days of no real news earlier in the week, the markets seem to be using up all their stored energy. With the Dow Jones Industrial Average losing 80 points yesterday after spiking in earlier trading, the downward trend continues today. Down 49 points just after 11 a.m. EDT, the index is suffering from more speculation and discouraging international activity. Outside the U.S.The Asian markets fell overnight, with the Japanese Nikkei dropping 7.3% by the time the markets closed. With weak manufacturing data from China and increased bond yields in Japan, the pressure on the markets was too great. European markets followed suit, though losses were not as severe. Both the unexpected contraction in China and the eurozone are unsettling to U.S. investors. Closer to homeWith yesterday's ambiguous testimony from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke on the future of the stimulus program, there is continued speculation that the current policy may be tapered back as soon as next month -- which is helping to send the markets lower this morning. Though Bernanke said that there would be no changes and that the policy would be adjusted as needed, yesterday's release of the latest FOMC meeting minutes showed clear division among members, with some calling for the bond buybacks to be cut soon. One of the clear statements made by Bernanke is creating some added concern this morning. Since the stimulus program is directed at supporting job growth, Bernanke said that improvements in the labor market would largely drive the decision to begin paring down the program. With this morning's unemployment report showing continued declines in new jobless claims, there is concern that this is the sign the policymakers have been waiting for. Inside the DowBanks with large international components have been hit hard this morning, with both JPMorgan and Bank of America dropping in early trading. As of this writing, the losses are 0.63% for JPM and 0.49% for BAC -- though both have recovered slightly from larger drops within the first hour of trading. Outside the Dow, Citigroup has also dropped 1.77%. Since it is more focused on international operations than its peers, the bigger drop is to be expected. Although all three banks have operations in Asia that may be suffering from slower economies, operations in other emerging markets have often offset the Asian markets' weakness. Helping limit the Dow's losses this morning is Hewlett-Packard . The tech company is soaring after better-than-expected earnings prove that CEO Meg Whitman is heading the company in the right direction. Up 13.3% so far in trading, HP is enjoying the boost from investors' added confidence, despite continued drops in important operating segments. Though revenue was a solid 10% lower than last year, the company produced $0.87 per share in earnings, beating both its guidance of $0.80 to $0.82 and analyst estimates, which fell within that range. Personal systems, which is the company's most important segment, is also the worst-performing -- with a 20% decline in revenues from the previous year. In order to keep shareholders happy with the current turnaround plan, Whitman asked for patience as the company continues to improve its balance sheet. As a reward for that patience, HP raised its dividend for shareholders by 10%. The massive wave of mobile computing has done much to unseat the major players in the PC market, including venerable technology names like Hewlett-Packard. However, HP's rapidly shifting its strategy under the new leadership of CEO Meg Whitman. But does this make HP one of the least-appreciated turnaround stories on the market, or is this a minor blip on its road to irrelevance? The Motley Fool's technology analyst details exactly what investors need to know about HP in our premium research report. Just click here now to get your copy today.

(San Diego, CA) – The latest update from the Ballast Point Brewing email newsletter… — Thursday marks the draft debut of a new collaborative effort by Ballast Point Brewing and our friends at COEDO Brewery in Japan. The beer will be available on tap and to take home in growlers tomorrow at both of our brewery locations. Below are some notes and back story from the brewers: Ballast Point Brewing and Spirits collaborated first with COEDO Brewery on September 14th, 2012. We traveled to Japan and brewed a San Diego inspired IPA with a local Japanese twist. West to East IPA was brewed with the renowned “Aiyama” Sake Rice and fresh Yuzu peel. We used Magnum and Motueka hops in the boil. Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin, Simcoe, Amarillo and Centennial for dry hopping. White Labs Cali Ale yeast for fermentation. An inspirational brew for us, COEDO and many other craft brewers in Japan! Some of the COEDO West to East IPA made it to Southern California in February and it tasted delicious, even after it’s long Pacific journey. So good that we were wondering what it must have tasted like fresh. Seemed like a good idea to bring over the guys from COEDO and give the brew another go! Only this time we called it East to West IPA to honor the direction of the traveling brewer. We kept the recipe the same except for the substitution of brown rice for the sake rice, and Meyer Lemon peel (grown in Jamul) for the Yuzu peel. East to West IPA was brewed on April 23rd, 2013. It is a bright IPA that truly encompasses the Pacific Rim! Northern California malted Barley used as the base malt while hops from Washington State, New Zealand, and Australia combined with Meyer Lemon and White Labs California Ale Yeast from San Diego, add flavor. Aromatics jump from the glass while the lingering bitterness and acidity balance the low residual sugar left in the beer. Think tropical fruits, green grapes, peaches and citrus. Pair with ceviche, ponzu sauce or chicken picatta! Ballast Point Brewer Colby Chandler COEDO Brewer Hiromi Uetake We didn’t get to serve East to West at our brewery due to an ABC license conflict, but maybe you were lucky enough to come across it at one of the several local draft houses who were able to get a keg. That beer is but a memory, but you can try the fresh version here tomorrow. In other news, Home Brew Mart’s new expansion is complete and open for business.

Brazil is noted for its high murder rate. In the Wikipedia map posted here, Brazil falls in the highest homicide category, with more than 20 slayings a year per 100,000 people. This figure significantly exceeds that of the United States (4.8) and vastly exceeds those of such countries as Japan (0.4) and Iceland (0.3).  Yet Brazil is hardly the most ...This post is from GeoCurrents

Japan’s bond market is officially losing control. We have definitely taken out the multi-year trendline here, making a new high higher after a higher low. This is BAD news as it indicates that Japan’s bond market could be entering a cyclical downturn. If this happens then the great global bond market rig of the last five years is coming to an end. Most analysts have been ignoring bonds because stocks are at record highs. BIG MISTAKE. As Japan has indicated, when bonds start to plunge, it’s not good for stocks. Today the Japanese Bond market fell and the Nikkei plunged 7%. The entire market down 7%... despite the Bank of Japan funneling $19 billion into it to hold things together. This is what it looks like when a Central Bank begins to lose control. And what’s happening in Japan today will be coming to the US in the not so distant future. If you think the Fed is not terrified of this, think again. The Fed has pumped over $1 trillion into foreign banks, hoping to stop the mess from getting to the US. As Japan is showing us, the Fed will fail. For some insights on how to prepare for a market collapse, visit us at: http://gainspainscapital.com/protect-your-portfolio// Best Regards, Graham Summers

Shohei Otani, a 18-year-old with an upper-90s fastball, made his Nippon Pro Baseball debut this morning for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. And yeah, I was up at 5AM to watch it. Otani has already made plenty of news in Japan. After his impressive high school career Shohei announced that he would skip the Nippon League altogether, therefore bypassing the posting system and sign with a Major League organization. The Red Sox, Rangers, Yankees, Dodgers, and Orioles were all said to be interested. Otani told the NPB clubs not to bother drafting him because he wouldn’t sign. The Fighters selected him in the first round anyway, after which Otani said, “I’m grateful that they appreciate me, but it doesn’t change my desire to play in America”. Then, due to cultural and family pressures, and the possibility of some shady back-room dealings, Otani agreed to a deal with Hokkaido Nippon-Ham. Here’s a little write-up of what I saw this morning…. The 6’4″, 190 lb right-hander threw 5 innings today, allowed six hits, two runs, three walks and struck out two. Wearing Yu Darvish‘s #11, Otani showed some outstanding velocity but is clearly in need of some refinements. He stuggled with his control at times and lacked an effective put-away pitch. Otani is athletic and has a fluid delivery that produced a 90-98 mph fastball. He used a slurvy slider (76-83 mph) as his second pitch, breaking it away from right-handed hitters and trying to backdoor it to lefties. Shohei flipped a couple of 63 mph curveballs as well. The uber-prospect did not throw any splitters, a pitch that almost every Japanese pitcher features. In fact, Otani didn’t show any type of offspeed pitch at all. [ fastball(90-98), slider(76-83), curve(63) ] After a few years working on his craft in the NPB, MLB teams may come calling again. Will the Mets be one of them?

At the beginning of April, Kyle Bass went on CNBC and slammed the "macro tourists" that were driving up Japanese stock prices. Note: The term "macro tourist" refers to someone who is not a traditional macro expert stepping out of one's comfort zone to make big bets based on one's own (often flawed) notion of economics. Today, Bass blames the macro tourists for the historic 7.3% plunge in the Nikkei 225 last night. Here's what he had to say on CNBC just now: When you look at Japan, it looks to me like their industry has been hollowed out over the last 15 years, analogous to the U.S. manufacturing business getting hollowed out in the late 70s and 80s. They've been exporting jobs overseas because of the strengthening yen. So, I think the weakening yen – if you look at the balance of trade data from the Ministry of Finance, you see exports moving up about 5% year over year, but imports moving up about 3-3.5% – they still have a balance of payments deficit even after the yen has [weakened] materially from its [highs]. I don't think that it's the panacea that equity investors think it is. I think that the people that have bought into the Nikkei – I refer to them as macro tourists – I think they are renting the stocks. They're not really owning them. And that's why you see movements like you see today. As we noted earlier, given how highly leveraged the Japan trade has been, some have been waiting for a big unwind.READ MORE — ANALYST: Japan Just Had Its 'Lehman-Like' Moment > Please follow Money Game on Twitter and Facebook.Join the conversation about this story »

After big gains in the past few days, Citigroup is entering negative territory for the first time in a while. After gaining 6% last week and nearly reaching another 3% earlier this week, the stock has dropped 2.1% within the first hour of trading. Despite some good news for the bank, international news may continue to move shares lower. A look aroundThe banking sector as a whole is not in the best shape this morning, following the overall market in a slump: The KBW Bank Index is down 0.87%. Bank of America is also sliding, with a loss of 1.01%. JPMorgan Chase  is down 0.76% in trading this morning. Wells Fargo is the beacon of light this morning, with only a 0.04% drop. International newsJapanese markets fell sharply following increased bond yields. The Nikkei 225 fell 7.3% in trading, with help from weak manufacturing data from China. With Citigroup, Bank of America, and JPMorgan all heavily invested in international markets, it makes sense that the falling markets overseas would drive shares down this morning. The three banks are also in the top five that control the U.S. market for swaps, which may also be affected by this morning's nosedive. Citigroup is the most international bank of the three, and was recently named the top foreign exchange bank in Latin America, as well as the top bank for corporates in Latin America. With its operations focusing on the emerging markets, Latin America has been a great opportunity for Citi. The improvements in LA have recently offset some of the weakness in Japan and other Asian countries for Citi, as seen in their first-quarter earnings when a 6% increase in Latin American consumer banking offset the 1% drop in Asia. If Citi continues to pursue the developments in Latin American countries, it may be able to contain its losses from slowing Asian economies. Closer to homeCiti was recently reiterated as "Outperform" by Credit Suisse, with analysts increasing the bank's price target to $60 from $53. This continued confidence in the bank may some added salt to the wounds of hedge funds that exited their positions with the bank during the first quarter. Since then, the bank has already gained 15.6% and proved that there's more room to grow. Though today's drop may be disappointing for the bank and its investors, especially after such a great run over the past eight trading days, it's a reminder that outside forces can cause quite a stir for stocks on any given day. But as depicted by Citi's developments in Latin America, some of the forces can be offset, leaving long-term investors with the knowledge that their stock is on the right track. With a Foolish approach to investing, this gives you the confidence to ride out any ups and downs the market can throw at you.Citigroup's stock looks tantalizingly cheap. Yet the bank's balance sheet is still in need of more repair, and there's a considerable amount of uncertainty after a shocking management shakeup. Should investors be treading carefully, or jumping on an opportunity to buy? To help figure out whether Citigroup deserves a spot on your watchlist, I invite you to read our premium research report on the bank today. We'll fill you in on both reasons to buy and reasons to sell Citigroup, and what areas Citigroup investors need to watch going forward. Click here now for instant access to our best expert's take on Citigroup.