Business

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US business spending intentions weakened in April for a third straight month amid soft demand for machinery, but a surge in contracts to purchase previously owned homes to a 10-year high supported views economic growth was gaining speed.

Gold Prices for the three-day period ending Thursday May 26, 2016Kitco is a Canadian company that buys and sells precious metals such as gold, copper and silver.

Once the programme of official events for the Jubilee Independence celebrations is over one expects that there will be some movement on the commencement of discussions between the government and the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) on wages and salaries and related issues.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 669’s trading results showed consideration of $435,480 from 901 shares traded in 5 transactions as compared to session 668’s trading results, which showed consideration of $26,424,867 from 742,364 shares traded in 14 transactions.

Now that the report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Public Service has been completed and handed over to the President there should be no further delay to engagement between the government and the union or unions concerned on the matter of public servants’ salaries, General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) Lincoln Lewis has told the Stabroek Business.

A controversial May 17, letter signed by Ogle Airport Inc (OAI) Chief Executive Officer Anthony Mekdeci and circulated to the media asserting that but for investments made by OAI Chairman Michael Correia what is now the Eugene R Correia International Airport would not have come on stream threatens to extend the controversy that has been raging at the country’s second international airport ever since the announcement some weeks ago regarding its renaming.

Jamaican-born businesswoman Valrie Grant, whose company GeoTech Vision Enterprises has established a second home here in Guyana last Thursday told the opening ceremony of the 2016 Jubilee Anniversary GuyExpo that the central bank coupled with commercial banks can play a significant role in supporting the channeling of investment to the small business sector.

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) wants regional governments to play a major facilitating role in properly positioning the private sector to drive a competitive and resilient economy in the Caribbean.

NEW YORK/FRANKFURT (Reuters) – German drugs and chemicals group Bayer has made an unsolicited takeover proposal to US seeds company Monsanto, aiming to create the world’s biggest agricultural supplier and take advantage of converging pesticides and seeds markets.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 668’s trading results showed consideration of $26,424,867 from 742,364 shares traded in 14 transactions as compared to session 667’s trading results, which showed consideration of $12,857,578 from 73,271 shares traded in 5 transactions.

Gold Prices for the three-day period ending Thursday May 19, 2016

By Kenneth Rogoff CAMBRIDGE – Are emerging-market central banks overweight in dollars and underweight in gold?

Annabelle Carter-Sharma’s ambitious entrepreneurial adventure into the creation of what is envisaged as a three-phase, multi-million-dollar fun park infrastructure marks an attempt to push the frontiers of local children’s entertainment beyond what she considers to be the range of under-fulfilling options that are currently available.

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NOT GOOD FOR TOURISM: These visitors who arrived in Guyana on Wednesday evening to be part of the country’s Jubilee celebrations were required to queue for information about their bags which had been left behind by LIAT.

Understandably, we have no clear idea of the numbers that will arrive here over the next week to be part of the country’s 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations, though from all that we have been hearing Guyanese from the diaspora, some of whom may well not have set foot on their native soil in decades, will be ‘touching down’ here to participate in the historic celebrations.

Even as Monday’s ceremony appears to have signalled an end to the battle by the National Air Transport Association (NATA) to prevent the former Ogle International Airport facility from being renamed the Eugene F Correia International Airport, there are clear signs that the feuding between the management of Ogle Airport Inc and several of the other operators there may persist for some while longer.

In the Pomeroon River, there continues to be an awareness that the coconut market can provide a lucrative entrepreneurial option, so much so that Pomeroon landowners, who had just a few years ago had turned their backs on the land and headed for the gold fields, are making the trek back.

A fair number of people – including some employees of the company with whom this newspaper spoke – have commented favourably on the grit and determination with which the Guyana Fire Service battled Monday’s conflagration at the Gafoors Houston Complex.