Starbucks CEO steps down to focus on high-end coffee, shares fall www.reuters.com

Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) co-founder Howard Schultz will step down as chief executive to focus on new high-end coffee shops, handing the top job to Chief Operating Officer Kevin Johnson, a long-time technology executive.

Schultz, who will become executive chairman in April 2017, said he would focus on building ultra-premium Reserve stores and showcase Roastery and Tasting Rooms around the world as well as setting the brand's "social impact agenda" that includes sending employees to college and recruiting veterans.

Starbucks had signaled the change in July, but its shares fell 3.6 percent to $56.41 in extended trading on Thursday, as investors recalled the company's decline after Schultz handed over the reins in 2000. He returned in 2008.

"Having him step down as CEO raised the anxiety level," said Stephens analyst Will Slabaugh, who said that Schultz is the heart and soul of the brand, its entrepreneurial leader and its savior.

"We're in a much better position on every level," said Schultz, who returned for his second stint as CEO in the depths of the "Great Recession," when Starbucks' stock was trading below $10. Late last year, it hit an all-time high above $60. Schultz has put Starbucks in the national spotlight, asking customers not to bring guns into stores and urging conversations on race relations.

Many of the campaigns have generated controversy, but analysts have not seen a hit to financial results and the efforts have raised the profile of the coffee company and cemented Schultz's status as a national figure.

"The idea that he's replaceable, I think that's erroneous," said Bill Smead, CEO of Smead Capital Management in Seattle, which owns Starbucks shares. He compared the change to the retirement of long-time McDonald's Corp (MCD.N) CEO Ray Kroc, who turned a handful of hamburger stands into the world's biggest restaurant company.

The announcement on Thursday also came as investors worry about the restaurant industry's stubborn traffic declines. Starbucks has held up better than most, but it has not been immune.

Johnson is a former technology executive who became president and chief operating officer at Starbucks in March 2015.

Johnson has been on the Starbucks board since 2009 but most of his career was in the technology industry. He was the chief executive of Juniper Networks Inc (JNPR.N) from September 2008 to January 2014 and prior to that held several senior positions at Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O).

On a conference call after the announcement, analysts pressed the company on timing and whether, with Schultz stepping aside, senior management still had the "merchant gene."

"Not having retail experience could be a problem over time," said Howard Penney, an analyst at Hedgeye Risk Management.

"I'm not leaving the company and I'm here every day," said Schultz, whose office is connected to Johnson's.

Traffic at established Starbucks cafes fell in the last quarter, which Johnson has attributed to a change in the company's loyalty program, and Starbucks forecast a mid-single-digit rise in 2017 same-store sales.

The company dismissed speculation that Schultz could be preparing for a new career in politics.

"He has no plans to run for political office, as he has said many times, and will remain with the company as Starbucks executive chairman, focusing on premium coffee," a spokeswoman said.

Johnson & Johnson hit with over $1 billion verdict on hip implants www.reuters.com

A federal jury in Dallas on Thursday ordered Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) and its DePuy Orthopaedics unit to pay more than $1 billion to six plaintiffs who said they were injured by Pinnacle hip implants.

The jurors found that the metal-on-metal Pinnacle hip implants were defectively designed and that the companies failed to warn consumers about the risks.

J&J, which faces more than 8,000 lawsuits over the hip implants, said in a statement it would immediately appeal the verdict and was committed to defending itself and DePuy from further litigation over the Pinnacle devices.

The six plaintiffs awarded more than $1 billion are California residents who were implanted with the hip devices and experienced tissue death, bone erosion and other injuries they attributed to design flaws. Plaintiffs claimed the companies promoted the devices as lasting longer than devices that include ceramic or plastic materials.

Both companies denied any wrongdoing stemming from the development and marketing of the devices.

According to plaintiff's lawyer Mark Lanier, the total verdict of $1.041 billion included $32 million in compensatory damages. The rest were punitive damages.

Verdicts of such size are often scaled back by courts. In July, the judge presiding over this case, U.S. District Judge Edward Kinkeade, reduced a $500 million verdict in an earlier Pinnacle implant case to $151 million, citing a Texas state law that limits punitive damages awards.

J&J and DePuy have been hit with nearly 8,400 lawsuits over the devices, which have been consolidated in Texas federal court. Test cases have been selected for trial, and their outcomes will help gauge the value of the remaining claims.

The verdict on Thursday came in the third test case, with the second producing the earlier $500 million verdict. J&J and DePuy were cleared of liability in the first test case in 2014

Lanier said Thursday's verdict was "a message loud and clear" that J&J has "a really nasty part of their business they need to clean up."

The company rejected a $1.8 million settlement offer from the plaintiffs before trial, Lanier said.

The plaintiffs in the second test case have appealed Kinkeade’s decision to cut the award. Johnson & Johnson and DePuy have also appealed the jury verdict in the case.

In its statement, J&J criticized the trial judge over certain rulings it claimed help the plaintiffs.

“Today’s verdict provides no guidance on the merits of the overall Pinnacle litigation because the court’s rulings precluded a fair presentation to the jury,” said John Beisner, J&J’s attorney.

He said the company will ask the appeals court to postpone any additional trials over the implant defects.

DePuy ceased selling the metal-on-metal Pinnacle devices in 2013 after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration strengthened its artificial hip regulations.

J&J and DePuy also paid $2.5 billion that year to settle more than 7,000 lawsuits over its ASR metal-on-metal hip devices. The ASR devices were recalled in 2010 due to high failure rates.

J&J shares fell 38 cents to $111 in after-hours trading. They had closed up 8 cents during the day.

China insurers may invest $100b overseas in next 3 years: BNP Paribas www.chinadaily.com.cn

Chinese insurers may boost outbound investment by about $100 billion over the next three years, as they seek to diversify risks through buying more overseas securities, private equity and real estate, BNP Paribas said on Thursday, citing a survey.

Government once again reduces excise tax on fuel www.mongolia.gogo.mn

The Government has been taking response measures for preventing negative impacts of rising USD rate against the national currency. The cabinet resolved at the regular meeting of October 5 to reduce excise taxes per ton of petrol and diesel fuels by MNT 240 thousand respectively.

In accordance with the decision, MNT 260 thousand of excise tax was imposed on a ton of petrol and MNT 280 thousand- on diesel fuel.
Although the border price of oil has decreased by USD 30-33, the rising USD rate against MNT is causing the huge losses to fuel importing companies and the rise in the domestic fuel prices.
At the regular meeting on November 30, the cabinet adopted a resolution on re-cutting the excise taxes per ton of fuel by MNT 100,000.
The amounts of excise taxes for petrol and diesel fuels went down to MNT 160,000 and MNT 180,000 respectively.

Nokia phones to return to shelves in early 2017 www.rt.com

The first Nokia branded smartphones and tablets powered by Android will be released at the beginning of next year after a two-year hiatus, according to the company.

Oil, dollar, energy shares and bond yields leap on OPEC deal www.reuters.com

Capital city’s legal status to be reconsidered www.en.montsame.mn

Study: Private capital investment in US coal is over www.mining.com

Germany pledges MNT 122 billion new funding for sustainable development www.montsame.mn

China introduces 10% extra tax on 'super cars' www.bbc.com

China has introduced an additional 10% tax on "super cars", including Ferrari, Bentley, Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce.
The tax, affecting cars that cost more than 1.3m yuan ($189,000; £151,024), is aimed at curbing lavish spending and reducing emissions, authorities said.
It is part of a wider effort by Chinese authorities against flashy demonstrations of wealth, which has already hit other luxury brands.
China is a key market for high-end carmakers.
Automakers have in recent years increasingly tailored their luxury models to appeal to Chinese buyers.
Both Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin are planning to release SUV models in the next year, seen as a response to a Chinese preference for large cars over sports vehicles.
'Rational consumption'
"In order to guide rational consumption, and promote energy-saving emission reductions, the state Council has approved an additional consumption levy on ultra-luxury cars," a statement by the Ministry of Finance said.
The tax goes into effect on Thursday, although observers say it is unlikely to be a major deterrent for the super rich.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has made a campaign against corruption a centrepiece of his governing agenda, and has cracked down on luxury spending as part of that.