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Vox.com shows 10.9 million unique visitors in October 2014, according to comScore. Vox Media closed a 46.5 million round of financing with General Atlantic, a New York investment firm, in Nov. 2014. which values it at $380 million.

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The Markit/HSBC Purchasing Manager's Index for China declined to 49.6 in Jan 2014 from 50.5 in Dec. 2013. A score below 50 shows contraction. China's GDP growth declined to 7.7% in the 4th quarter of 2013.

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Ma Jun, economist who worked for the IMF, World Bank, and Deutsche Bank is the Chief Economist of the People's Bank of China (PBOC) in April 2014.

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Talks between Speaker Boehner and the Obama White House reached an impasse on debt ceiling and deficit reduction with strong opposition from members of their own parties.

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John Harwood provides an insight into the polarized positions of each side in the negotiations and the changes in the national scene that have led to a polarized political climate and a polarized Congress. The political positions on the Republican and Democratic sides in Congress and the Senate are different from any other time in many decades of government. Between Tea party members of the House and Pelosi Democrats in the House there is a serious divide. The senior leaders of each party command less support. Consider the loud "no" given by newly elected House Republicans led by Rep. Cantor to Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell's backup plan. The written pledge for no tax increases has given the Cantor House Republicans little room for compromise. And as Harwood points out each side, the tea party House Republican group, the Democrats in Congress, and the President, all know there is every chance that they could be voted out of office in 2012.The media is also splintered with vocal positions on either side. As Senator Chambliss of the Gang of Six Senators said on a talk show a week before the August 2 deadline for raising the U.S. debt ceiling: "Frankly, we don't know what's going to happen for sure." ...

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Economist John Spence on advice to the Chinese government to tackle problems of shifting from an export based economy to one more dependent on domestic spending. And managing the shift upscale to sophisticated technologies from basic consumer goods.

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Lenovo is accelerating the integration of Motorola Mobility operations into Lenovo in 2015. About 40% of the 100 million plus smartphone shipments planned in fiscal year 2015 will be Motorola Mobility phones, compared to 30% of the 85 million shipped in 2014. Motorola phones will be priced in the $400 plus range and Lenovo's own smartphones below that price level. The focus is on reducing costs and sales growth to turn around the Motorola Mobility brand quickly. Lenovo is now in third place after Samsung with 241.5 million shipments and Apple with 169.2 milllion, for the first three quarters of 2014, according to IDC. Lenovo faces intense competition from Xiaomi and Huawei in China and emerging markets.

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Peers says Amazon's strategy is flawed and the new Kindle Fire tablet will cut into Amazon's already low margins. He points to the analysis of components going into tablets by IHS iSuppli, which found materials costs alone come up to over $262. For companies making hardware such as Samsung and Sony the tablets have to be priced higher. By pricing the Kindle Fire at $199, Amazon CEO Bezos, may be counting on the tablet boosting Amazon's retail business, the digital music, and the streaming of videos, and bookstores. Surveys show the tablet being used mainly for web surfing or email, and less for watching video or reading books. Amazon has the Kindle e-reader which is a better option for readers because of the price. And video sources include other suppliers including YouTube and Netflix. Apple still has the edge in resources- $76 billion in cash and investments in mid 2011- to support lower prices on newer versions of the iPad with more capabilities and design features. Apple with its supply chain experience may be able to obtain better costs from component suppliers than Amazon for future price reductions. Sony and Samsung also bring the manufacturing knowhow and expertise to do this, with Sony's added capabilities in designing devices. The H-P tablet experience shows how quickly a tablet can become obsolete in this market....

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Apple will be opening 25 stores in China in 2010-2012. Its first store is a 16,000 square foot store in Shanghai. Apple was slow to cultivate the Chinese market. Most of its newest products like the iPad and the iPhone 4 are not available in China. Apple is moving aggressively in the Chinese market to make up for lost time. It has 2000 authorized dealers in China, with 800 added in just the first quarter of 2010. Official restrictions also play a part. For instance the iPhone was officially released in China 2 years after it was launched in the USA, because of the long time negotiating with state run telecom companies and restrictions. In the meantime 1 million iPhones came into China through tourists and smuggling.