Search the Community

Jin scary.. My MSCP also in the process of installing a new lift. http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/...506-420686.html

Oil drops under US$92 to 27-month low as supply glut grows (BUT Petrol Prices in Singapore Never Drop!!!) [LONDON] Oil fell by more than US$2 a barrel on Thursday to its lowest since June 2012, with benchmark Brent dropping under $92 a barrel, as price cuts from top producer Saudi Arabia added to supply glut worries and weak global economic data. Oil declined alongside European stocks as the European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged on Thursday, as expected. Investors were waiting to see the extent of an asset purchase plan, which bank chief Mario Draghi is due to discuss at a news conference due at 1230 GMT, which could inject confidence into the eurozone economy. Sharp cuts in official selling prices from state producer Saudi Aramco to Asian customers on Wednesday came as the clearest sign yet that the world's largest exporter is trying to compete for crude market share, amplified supply concerns. "This is a structural change in the oil market, with Saudi Arabia explicitly stating that they are willing to compete on price," said Bjarne Schieldrop, chief commodities analyst at SEB in Oslo. "I think Brent will fall below US$88 before we see the bottom of the market." Brent oil for November delivery was down US$1.76 at US$92.40 a barrel by 1156 GMT. It earlier hit US$91.55, its lowest since June 2012.

Stocks Tumble; Dow Drops Over 200 Points Equities Post Biggest One-Day Drop Since Feb. 3 By CHRIS DIETERICH Updated March 13, 2014 4:38 p.m. ET The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled more than 200 points on Thursday as soft economic data from China and rising tensions in Ukraine helped trigger the biggest one-day drop for U.S. stocks in more than six weeks. Stocks have struggled to find traction in 2014 after a nearly unimpeded rally last year. Concerns over the true strength of the U.S. economy, turmoil in emerging markets and worries about Federal Reserve policy have kept investors on edge, making them reticent to buy stocks that are near all-time highs. The Dow fell 231.19 points, or 1.4%, to 16108.89, notching its fourth decline in a row and biggest one-day drop since Feb. 3. The S&P 500 slumped 21.86 points, or 1.2%, to 1846.34. Thursday's slump dragged the index 0.1% lower for the year. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 62.91 points, or 1.5%, to 4260.42. There was no single piece of news driving the selloff. Stocks quickly turned lower in the morning and accelerated losses as the session progressed. The sharp decline came as investors considered more weak data from China, the world's second-largest economy, and incremental developments in tensions between the West and Russia over Ukraine. High valuations for stocks as well as the S&P 500's decline below a key level of technical support likely contributed to the selloff as well, traders said. Wall Street's trading desks saw investors seeking out haven assets amid the slide in stocks. Mohit Bajaj, director of ETF and portfolio trading services at broker WallachBeth Capital, saw some clients swapping out of U.S. stocks and into Treasury bond exchange-traded funds. "We've been busy," Mr. Bajaj said. "There is been rotation out of equities and into Treasury names." Bonds rallied, with the yield on the 10-year Treasury note falling to 2.659% from 2.726% late Wednesday. Gold futures rose 0.1% to $1,372.20 a troy ounce, settling at a six-month high. Utility stocks, viewed as defensive, were the only of the S&P 500's 10 sectors to gain ground. The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index, often called the market's "fear gauge," jumped 12% to finish at its highest level since February. Despite the sharp declines, many traders said Thursday's activity didn't feature panicked selling and took place on average volumes. The S&P 500 posted a record high Friday, and investors have shown willingness to step in and buy stocks after big drops for the past year. "We saw real selling, but certainly not panic," said Ian Winer, director of trading at Wedbush Securities. Daily volume in the SPDR S&P 500 exchange-traded fund finished just slightly above its average over the past month, according to FactSet. Recent gains for stocks, as well as uncertainty about the global economy, are enough to keep even bullish investors wary. Jerry Braakman, chief investment officer at First American Trust, prefers U.S. stocks to other markets, but has been concerned about China's soft economic reports. On Thursday, Chinese industrial output in the January-February period rose less than expected from the year-earlier period and down from December. Retail-sales gains in January-February also undershot expectations. "The market is looking for its next catalyst," said Mr. Braakman, whose firm oversees about $1.1 billion in Santa Ana, Calif. He anticipates "sideways" trading until greater clarity emerges on corporate earnings and the global economy. In the U.S., data showed retail sales for February rose 0.3% on the month, slightly topping expectations. Excluding autos, sales grew 0.3%, also beating expectations. Initial claims for jobless benefits in the latest week fell by 9,000, more than expected, to 315,000, the lowest level since November. The dollar fell 1.1% to 101.64 Japanese yen, while the euro fell 0.3% to $1.39 after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said the central bank has been preparing additional nonstandard monetary-policy measures should the euro zone slide into deflation. European markets fell, with the Stoxx Europe 600 ending down 1.1%. China's Shanghai Composite rose 1.1%, after Chinese Premier Li Keqiang promised to keep economic growth at a reasonable pace this year. Japan's Nikkei Stock Average eased 0.1%. Amazon.com Inc. climbed 0.2% after the company said it would raise the rate for its prime membership, which offers perks such as free and expedited shipping, to $99 a year from $79, the first price increase in the shipping and video-streaming service's nine-year history. Dow component General Electric Co. fell 1.6% after the company said it filed for an initial public offering of its North American retail finance business. Dollar General Corp. slid 2.8% after the discount retailer's quarterly profit fell below Wall Street expectations. Williams-Sonoma Inc. rallied 9.8% after the housewares and furniture retailer's quarterly profit increased on higher sales, namely from its West Elm and Pottery Barn brands.

My car is probably due for 40K km servicing next month. I notice tat the FC has dropped to about 9.5 km/l (previously it's between 10.5 to 11 km/l). I wonder if the next servicing will help revive the FC. Anyone has similar experience b4?

http://www.forbes.com/markets/commodities/...6markets08.html http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/ford...D&dist=hplatest By MarketWatch Last update: 8:55 a.m. EDT March 26, 2008 TEL AVIV (MarketWatch) --Ford Motor Co. agreed to sell its Jaguar Land Rover operations to India's Tata Motors for $2.3 billion and will contribute as much as $600 million to the unit's pension plan. The Dearborn, Mich., auto maker had said in August that it would assess what to do with the brands as part of a focus on Ford as its core global brand. And in January it had named Tata -- a member of India's Tata Group conglomerate -- the preferred bidder for the operations. In a statement on Wednesday, Ford said it will continue to supply Jaguar Land Rover for differing periods with powertrains, stampings and other vehicle parts, in addition to a variety of environmental and platform technologies. Ford also committed to provide engineering support, including research and development, plus information technology, accounting and other services. And Ford Motor Credit will provide financing for Jaguar and Land Rover dealers and customers during a transition of as long as a year, depending on the market. The two sides said that when the deal closes, they don't expect "any significant changes to Jaguar Land Rover employees' terms of employment." Ford's statement said that it has kept Jaguar Land Rover's workers and unions, as well as the U.K. government, apprised of the sale process. They have "indicated their support for the agreement," Ford said. Subject to conditions including regulatory clearances, Ford and Tata http://www.marketwatch.com/tpx/storyquotetip.tpx?random=0.2796206737778025TTM 17.12, -0.24, -1.4%) expect to close the deal in the first half. Ford shares were up 2.3% in premarket trading, while Tata shares slipped 2.7%.

have you guys encounter this? During idling, the RPM needle drops and the car will make this "GRRRRR" noise...after which, the needle gets back up and car went into the normal idling. This occurs about every 7-8 mins during idling. What's wrong???

What a tragedy, hope this will not happen in SG...... http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNew...007-240998.html Macaque abducts, bites and drops baby from roof Baby dies after monkey attack By Chitra S. Nathan and Lester Kong SEREMBAN, Malaysia - In mere minutes, a young woman turned from a happy mother to a grieving one when she lost her four-day-old baby to a wild monkey that was shot dead several hours later. At 1.15pm yesterday, the macaque stole into the living room; snatched the child and fled up the roof of the house. The baby fell to the ground and died. The mother, V. Revathy, 26, had left her first-born child in the living room of the single-storey house near Taman Happy Garden to use the toilet. The baby's body was discovered later outside the house with her face and neck badly bitten. She was rushed to the Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital here where she was pronounced dead. Revathi's father-in-law A. Valayutham, 70, was in the living room with the newborn but had gone to get a glass of water when the tragedy occurred. "We frantically searched all over the house and saw her body covered in blood lying outside the house," he said. Valayutham added that he had noticed a few monkeys outside the house compound at that time. The area where the family stayed was sandwiched between two residential areas with a foliage of trees nearby where there were monkeys. Negri Sembilan Wildlife and National Parks director Ishak Muhamad said the macaque was shot dead at 4pm. "We suspect the macaque was rummaging for food inside the house. It could have taken the baby to the roof thinking the newborn was food. "The baby died when it fell to the ground. The monkey had apparently released the newborn, probably because it was alarmed by the parents' shouts," Ishak said yesterday. He added that the parents had called the Fire and Rescue Department at 2.15pm, which immediately contacted the Wildlife and National Parks Department. "We reached the house at about 3pm and set off with the baby's father to look for the macaque," he said. Ishak said department officers saw the macaque in some bushes several metres from the house at about 4pm. The macaque was shot when it began to act aggressively. Ishak added that it was the first such case in the state, and believed the male monkey was attracted by a female kept in captivity as a pet by the family. "This is very unusual. Normally, these monkeys simply steal food or pluck fruit from the yard," he said. The baby's father, lorry driver V. Neru, 29, who was not at home when the incident occurred, said he could not believe that such a thing could have happened. "I rushed to the hospital only to be told that she was gone. "She was our bundle of joy and we were looking forward to spending many happy years with her ... I just cannot believe she's gone," he said. R. Shanty, 35, who lives nearby said it was common to see monkeys in groups of three or four in the area. "A while back, my pet dog was attacked by these monkeys. Its badly-bitten body was thrown from a tree. "I really hope the authorities take action and not wait until another life is lost," she said. Rahang assemblyman M.K. Arumugam, who visited the family yesterday evening, expressed regret over the incident. "I have brought this matter up before but sadly no action was taken. I am very disappointed that something like this had to happen before the authorities took notice," he said.

Ever since the Circle line is open, I observed that the carpark arnd my office is less pack and more car park lot for me to choose. Even the traffic has improved. There were no significant jam on PIE today when I drove to work! Smooth! I also have colleagues who stopped driving because circle line is up. Is this all a ploy by the Government to drive up the COE so that less people will buy cars and utilise the public transport? If that is the case, weill we see a drop in COE soon???

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2010/01/video...ff-ferrari.html

ESPN Soccernet latest : Beach ball referee Jones drops into Championship Mike Jones, the referee who incorrectly awarded Darren Bent's goal for Sunderland against Liverpool on Saturday, will not officiate in the Premier League this weekend. FIFA's laws of the game state "the referee should stop, suspend or abandon the match because of outside interference of any kind'', meaning the goal should have been ruled out and the match re-started with a drop ball. Jones will take charge of the Championship game between Peterborough and Scunthorpe at London Road. Jones' mistake has been widely criticised by a number of his former colleagues with Jeff Winter, Dermot Gallagher and Graham Poll all stating their surprise that such a basic error was made in a Premier League game. Gallagher said: "It was a glaring error and it's difficult to fathom. Even referees in local parks should know that if there is an outside agent on the pitch then you stop the game and restart it with a drop ball. "When you set out as a referee you learn the laws of the game and everyone should know it. For it to happen at this level and in such a high-profile game is unbelievable. Any one of the four officials should have stepped in.'' The possibility if the game being replayed has been rejected by the Premier League. Becomes referees also 'chia lat' .........

by 0.6%. good start.. more to come..

April 11, 2008 S'pore drops to 5th place in tech-saviness ranking By Alfred Siew and Tan Weizhen FROM being the world's most tech-savvy nation, Singapore has dropped to 5th place. It fell two notches on the Networked Readiness index, an annual ranking released on Wednesday by the World Economic Forum. The index, which measures the impact of infocomm policies and usage in 127 economies, ranked Denmark as the most ready to take advantage of technology. It is followed by Sweden, Switzerland, the United States and Singapore. This is the lowest Singapore has ranked since topping the chart in 2005. It was second in 2006, and third in 2007. In this year's ranking, the Republic was top in the quality of math and science education and the Government's vision of infocomm, areas in which it had done well in the past. But it only scored 15th on the accessibility of digital content, a new indicator measuring whether content is widely available on platforms such as the Internet, mobile phones and cable television. It was placed 115th for freedom of the press - one notch up from last year - and 99th for expenditure in education, another new indicator. Dr Irene Mia, an editor of the report and senior economist at the World Economic Forum, said freedom of the press referred to how freely people could share opinions online, and the ranking was based on a survey of top businessmen in 130 countries. Singapore also did well with its quality of education, she said, but based on 2005 figures, it spent 2.7 per cent of its national income on education, which is lower than Denmark's 8 per cent. The Switzerland-based organisation's index is part of a study called The Global Information Technology Report, which is being published for the seventh year. The study is produced with business school Insead and sponsored by networking vendor Cisco Systems. http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/...12.html?vgnmr=1 fwah... drop so many...

Hey forum mates, after sending my car for polishing, can feel that the whole car is very smooth what is interesting is that my FC is better! increment of 1.5km/litre. I'm 100% sure its not an illusion and i travel exact same pattern as compared to the previous time, what is your take on this?

Mon, Jul 30, 2007 AsiaOne MediaCorp drops pregnant Zoe Tay MediaCorp has suspended the contract of Caldecott Hill Queen Zoe Tay, who is seven months pregnant. Ms Tay, 39, who is expecting her second baby, said that under the company's new policy, pregnant actresses are suspended from work but they will be reinstated when they resume work. Gracing the latest cover of Citta bella, Ms Tay told the Chinese women's magazine that she is now "jobless" and confessed that she felt "troubled" about the situation as she currently has no income. She said her main concern now is getting her job back after having the baby, who is due in October. The actress, who has been married for six years to pilot Philip Chionh, also 39, found out that she was pregnant during the Chinese New Year period in February, but chose to announce the good news only after her first trimester. The couple have a two-year-old son, Brayden. She was able to continue working during her first pregnancy in 2004, and hosted an infotainment programme educating women on the dos-and-don'ts when having a baby. Asked if she would consider becoming a full-time mum, the former model-turned-actress said: "No way! I still need to work for myself. So long as the job gives me time to look after my children, I will not become a full-time mum." She added: "It's not easy being a full-time mum." Another MediaCorp star, Ms Huang Biren, who is also pregnant, apparently can continue to work because she is being covered by an old contract. Now two months pregnant with her second child, Miss Huang, who has a seven-year-old son, told Shin Min Daily news that she has not suffered the same fate as Ms Tay and is "still getting her normal salary." "My current contract is an old one which I signed with MediaCorp four years ago," she said. "It will expire next year after I have given birth, which means I can continue to work even while I am pregnant." Ms Huang said she is among a small group of artistes who are still on the old contract. Most of the others either renew or sign new contracts which carry the clause that actresses who get pregnant midway through their contacts will be dropped.

Hi All, Hope that some advise can be given as to how serious it is to find oil droplets in the coolant tank. I just noticed it while filling water into it. Another cause for worry is the consumption of engine oil. It was discovered to be low. Topping up required about half a quart. With the oil droplets found in the coolant tank, coupled with the engine oil loss............. errrr.... is it a very bad sign? Thanks for your feedback.

Hi Just discovered that there are some (> 20) white paint drops (1mm size) on my 2 mth old car (dark red color). I must have parked the car near some construction site. I tried to use my fingernail to scrap off the paint unsucessfully. Can I purchase a 'cleaner' to remove the paint drops Need your advise in this area. Best Regards & Happy New Year to U + family

Man:$67,500 Auto:$69,500

i have a totally unmodified 2002 Corolla 1.5 Xli(A). Occasionally, and i must stress- unpredictably, idle speed drops to 500 rpm and vibrates the car REALLY violently for 2 or 3 seconds before climbing back up to normal. It does not always happen, and when it does, its always after at least 15s or so of idling at the red lights with tranny in drive mode and aircon on. And the vibration always lasts 2-3 seconds at most, before rpm goes back to normal. 99% of the time, she can idle all day and not exhibit this problem at all. Apart from this unstable idle speed poblem, engine is still as good as brand new. Powerful, rev-happy and redlines all day with ease. Throttle body has been dismantled and throttle valve cleaned thoroughly, twice infact, but to no avail. I use Shell 95 UL all the time. Belts are fine, sparks plugs are new, air filter is new, ATF is new and engine oil is changed religiously. Should i change fuel filter? (Manual says change every 8 years; girl's barely 3 years old)Could this be an idle control valve problem? Its really expensive to change. . . at least 200bucks brand new. . . . Anyone has the same problem? Is Borneo able to resolve it? Help!

All Honda from KM drops 1K!!! Wah lau....my Civic I bought 81K.Now 71K!!

Is it normal for the coolant reservior level to drop from the "Full" line to "Low" line about 8000km after the last top-up 3 months go? Hmm..only realised now (after counting the months) that my car averages 2500km mileage a month