2013 01 09 cmyk na 04online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/pageone... · 2018-08-27 · reer...

1
YELLOW ****** WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2013 ~ VOL. CCLXI NO. 7 WSJ.com HHHH $2.00 CONTENTS Corporate News B2-4,7 Global Finance........... C3 Heard on the Street C12 Home & Digital..... D2-4 In the Markets.......... C4 Leisure & Arts............ D7 Managing...................... B5 Opinion................... A11-13 Property Report... C6-9 Sports.............................. D8 U.S. News................. A2-5 Weather Watch........ B8 World News........... A6-9 DJIA 13328.85 g 55.44 0.4% NASDAQ 3091.81 g 0.2% NIKKEI 10508.06 g 0.9% STOXX 600 286.25 g 0.1% 10-YR. TREAS. À 10/32 , yield 1.871% OIL $93.15 g $0.04 GOLD $1,661.50 À $16.00 EURO $1.3081 YEN 87.04 s Copyright 2013 Dow Jones & Company. All Rights Reserved Vital Signs Americans stepped up their borrowing in Novem- ber. Consumer credit outstanding—including money owed on credit cards, auto loans and student loans but not mortgages— rose 7%, on an annual basis, from October, to $2.77 trillion. The growth was driven by a sharp in- crease in nonrevolving credit, which includes student loans and auto financing. Consumer credit, in trillions Source: Federal Reserve '12 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 $2.7 '09 '08 '10 '11 > A pple is working on a lower-end iPhone, mark- ing a big shift in corporate strategy as its supremacy in smartphones has slipped. A less-expensive version of the company’s flagship device could launch later this year. B1 Sony said it aims to es- tablish itself as one of the world’s top three smart- phone manufacturers as part of its turnaround plan. B4 n Dish Network made an unsolicited bid for Clearwire, throwing a wrench into Sprint’s plan to buy the 50% of the wireless broadband provider it doesn’t already own. B1 n Boeing’s Dreamliner hit fresh trouble as safety officials opened a formal probe into a fire that broke out on an empty plane and another airline dis- covered wiring problems. A1 n Two more members of the management team that steered J.P. Morgan Chase through the credit crisis have taken new jobs, as the bank assembles a younger set of top leaders. C1 n A former hedge-fund con- sultant who became a key gov- ernment witness alerted au- thorities to about 20 people who may have been involved in insider-trading plots. C2 n Stocks fell for a second day as investors awaited the start of the earnings season. The Dow industrials shed 55.44 points to 13328.85. C4 n Alcoa swung to a profit, helped by stabilizing prices for raw aluminum, increased sales in the aerospace business and cost-cutting efforts. B3 n Finra plans to shine a light on dark pools, private trading venues that allow buyers and sellers to keep orders hidden from the rest of the market. C3 n AIG directors will discuss joining a lawsuit by ex-CEO Greenberg that accuses the U.S. of extracting too-onerous terms for its rescue of the firm. C3 n Google asked the ITC to drop claims that Microsoft was infringing on two pat- ents held by Google’s Motor- ola Mobility unit. B2 n Goldman will begin dis- closing the values of its money- market mutual funds daily rather than monthly, in a break with industry practice. C1 n The unemployment rate in the euro zone climbed to a fresh high of 11.8% in Novem- ber, highlighting the risks con- fronting the bloc in 2013. A8 n The IRS is delaying the start of tax-filing season for most filers by about a week, to Jan. 30. The April 15 filing deadline will be unchanged. A4 n U.S. businesses want gov- ernment help in fighting cy- berattacks, though they still oppose mandatory safeguards, MasterCard’s chief said. B4 n The U.S. is reviewing ac- cidents and mishaps experi- enced by Shell as it started the process of oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean last year. B2 n Americans are moving, sig- naling an improving economy. About 3.9% of the U.S. popula- tion, or 11.8 million people, moved to a different county in 2011. That was the highest level since before the reces- sion and up from the record lows of 3.5% in 2010 and 2009. Movement between counties largely reflects job-related moves. The 3.9% rate still re- mains historically low. A1 Among the states that gained population from do- mestic moves were Florida, Nevada and North Dakota. n Obama’s picks to lead the Pentagon and CIA face mount- ing challenges over issues in- cluding the terror attack in Libya and support for Israel. A4 n The lower 48 U.S. states experienced the warmest year on record in 2012, shattering the previous mark set in 1998 by one degree Fahrenheit. A4 n White House officials speaking ahead of a meeting with Karzai said the U.S. would consider pulling all its troops from Afghanistan by 2015. A7 n Venezuela’s Chávez will miss his inauguration, confirm- ing suspicions the leader will remain in a Cuban hospital. A6 n Turkish troops battled Kur- dish rebels in southeast Turkey, as the opposition sought to in- fluence new peace talks. A9 n Al Qaeda rebels moved into southern Mali, stoking fears of a wider conflict as the U.N. weighs how to help African troops recapture the north. A9 n India said Pakistani soldiers crossed the cease-fire line in disputed Kashmir and killed two Indian soldiers. Pakistan denied the accusation. A8 n Tunisia freed one of the men in custody for alleged links to the attack on the U.S. mis- sion in Benghazi, Libya. A8 n Lance Armstrong plans to be interviewed by Oprah Win- frey, as the former cyclist has been considering a confession of his alleged doping. A4 n California faces a demo- graphic and economic chal- lenge as the number of chil- dren decline just as baby boomers reach retirement. A2 n A California judge said the man accused of killing seven people at an Oakland, Calif., college is unfit to stand trial. A5 n Illinois’s governor called for a panel to fix a public-employee pension gap after lawmakers failed to agree on a plan. A5 n Chinese journalists reached a deal with officials that will let their paper publish even as censorship tensions spread. A6 n A Chinese metro train de- railed, killing one worker, the third fatal subway-construction accident in recent weeks. A8 n Australia downgraded the wildfire threat posed by ex- treme heat as a string of blazes were brought under control. A7 n Died: Fred Turner, 80, led McDonald’s expansion. B7 Business & Finance World-Wide Follow the news all day at WSJ.com personal Journal. Getty Images Perils of the Windows 8 Upgrade Where Salt Is Hiding On the Menu What’s News– i i i i i i ZURICH—Switzerland, for decades a paragon of safety in finance, is engaged in a high-risk strategy to protect its export-driven economy, literally bet- ting the bank in a fight to contain the prices of Swiss products sold abroad. The nation’s central bank is printing and selling as many Swiss francs as needed to keep its cur- rency from climbing against the euro, wagering an amount approaching Switzerland’s total national output, and, in the process, turning from button- down conservative to the globe’s biggest risk- taker. Switzerland’s virtue is the root of its problem: broad confidence in the Swiss currency and econ- omy has investors hungry for francs to escape eu- ros, the currency of its shaky European neighbors. Such demand makes francs more expensive and, in turn, drives up the price of Swiss exports. In the past three years, the Swiss National Bank has printed francs to buy euros and other curren- cies in a swelling portfolio of foreign assets four times what it was at the beginning of 2010. Nearly every major central bank is buying non- traditional assets to resurrect domestic economies in the wake of the worst global recession in 75 years. The U.S. Federal Reserve is buying mort- gages; the European Central Bank is making un- usually long loans to banks; and the Bank of Japan is buying real-estate investment funds. All risk losing money, but Switzerland’s expo- sure stands out in character and scale: Its central bank is buying assets from other countries and its holdings of currencies, bonds, stocks and gold— nearly 500 billion Swiss francs, about $541 bil- lion—are nearly the size of the nation’s gross do- mestic product. In contrast, the Fed’s buying of bonds and mortgages amounts to about 20% of Please turn to page A10 Americans began striking out for greener pastures at a pace not seen since before the reces- sion crippled job prospects, hob- bled home sales and kept many stuck in place. About 3.9% of the population, or 11.8 million people, moved to a different county in 2011, new Census figures show. That was the highest level since before the recession, and up from 3.5% in 2010 and 2009—the lowest level since the government began the tally in 1948. Movement between counties largely reflects people moving because of jobs, demographers said. Overall, the increase signals both a healthier economy and fu- ture growth because it means more workers are being matched with jobs that suit their skills. However, the 3.9% rate re- mains low historically, fueling debate about the implications for the economy. The census data don’t indicate whether it rose again in 2012. Anecdotal reports from mov- ing companies suggest the rate may have held steady last year from 2011. It is too soon to tell if moves between counties will continue to rise. The increase may be fleeting, reflecting pent-up de- mand among young adults and retirees frozen in place by the recession, said Kenneth Johnson, a University of New Hampshire demographer. Please turn to page A2 BY JOSH MITCHELL Americans on Move Amid Torpid Recovery Boeing Co.’s flagship Dream- liner jet, plagued by years of pro- duction delays before getting off the ground, hit fresh trouble Tues- day as air-safety officials opened a formal probe into a fire that broke out on an empty plane, and an- other airline discovered wiring problems in one of its 787s. Also Tuesday, a Japan Airlines Co. 787 preparing to take off for Tokyo from Boston was forced to return to the airport gate because of a fuel leak. The plane that caught fire Monday was a separate JAL 787, also in Boston. The National Transportation Safety Board probe into Monday’s fire is the most serious setback to the multibillion-dollar 787 pro- gram since Boeing delivered the first jet to launch customer All Nippon Airways Co. in September 2011, more than three years be- hind schedule following a succes- sion of design and production woes. Boeing has already incurred bil- lions of dollars in cost overruns, including penalties and repara- tions to customers, and it is aim- ing to boost its finances with stepped-up deliveries of the jet. Boeing shares fell 2.6% to $74.13 Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange, extending Monday’s de- cline. The NTSB said its examination so far of Monday’s fire aboard a Dreamliner parked at Boston’s Lo- gan International Airport showed the battery for the aircraft’s auxil- iary power system suffered “se- vere fire damage.” Meanwhile, United Airlines, a unit of United Continental Hold- Please turn to page A4 BY JON OSTROWER AND JACK NICAS Fresh Jet Glitches Bedevil Boeing BY BRIAN BLACKSTONE AND DAVID WESSEL Button-Down Central Bank Bets It All European Pressphoto Agency A Retailer Discovers China’s New ‘It’ Girl: Grandpa i i i Retired Farmer Becomes Fashion Sensation; He’s 5-8, Thin and Looks Great in Crimson BEIJING—While other 72- year-old Chinese men spend their days practicing tai chi and play- ing mah-jongg, Liu Qianping is enjoying a twilight ca- reer modeling clothes. Women’s clothes. At a fall fashion shoot, the 5-foot-8 for- mer rice farmer from central Hunan vamped for the camera in lacy green tights and white fur-lined pink dresses. Online and on TV, he has become a meme, with his image circulated by millions on Chinese so- cial media sites and talk shows. He owes his star turn to his granddaughter, Lu Ting, a clothier who struggled for months to find a model who could boost her online store without breaking the bank. “He’s just so slender,” Ms. Lu says of her 110-pound grandfather. She notes that he looks great in crimson dresses and credits him for more than quadrupling her sales in recent weeks. Mr. Liu’s ascent in the modeling realm speaks volumes about shifting cultural mores in a fast- aging society. The waif of a man, who goes about in a three-piece suit and a bow-tie when he isn’t clad in pink satin, is among a cadre of Chinese seniors who are all too familiar with cultural upheaval. Their lives have been marked by unimaginable change—from surviving famine to the advent of fast food. Along the way, many have adopted a devil-may-care approach that flies in the face of Please turn to page A10 Liu Qianping BY LAURIE BURKITT AND JOSH CHIN ‘Dome of Heat’ Leaves Behind Devastation in Australia Note: 1 billion Swiss francs=$1.09 billion Source: Swiss National Bank The Wall Street Journal The Swiss central bank's foreign currency investments and other balance-sheet assets Cashing In 500 0 100 200 300 400 billion Swiss francs 2000 '10 Other assets Foreign currency investments California’s birthrate has tumbled, a report finds............. A2 CHARRED: A firefighter battled a blaze in New South Wales, Australia, as the heat wave that has gripped the country began to move north toward Brisbane, where temperatures are expected to hit 104 degrees. A7 Visit iShares.com for a prospectus, which includes investment objectives, risks, expenses and other information you should read and consider carefully before investing. Risk includes principal loss. Trading shares of ETFs may cause commissions and taxes. iShares ETFs must distribute gains to shareholders. 1. Morningstar, 12/12. 2. Greenwich Associates: 89% of 62 institutions using ETFs 2/12 – 4/12 use iShares, among other ETFs. Distributed by BlackRock Investments, LLC. ©2013 BlackRock, Inc. iS-8880-0113 Are your investments tax efficient? 98% of iShares ETFs did not distribute capital gains last year, extending a decade of leadership in tax efficiency. 1 iShares ETFs are managed to help minimize year-end tax surprises. So you keep more of what you earn. 9 out of 10 large professional investors choose iShares for their ETFs. 2 Ask your financial advisor. Call1-800-iShares. Visit iShares.com C M Y K Composite Composite MAGENTA CYAN BLACK P2JW009000-6-A00100-1--------XA CL,CN,CX,DL,DM,DX,EE,EU,FL,HO,KC,MW,NC,NE,NY,PH,PN,RM,SA,SC,SL,SW,TU,WB,WE BGN,BMT,BRX,CCA,CHR,CKP,CPD,CXT,DNV,DRG,HAW,HLD,KCS,LAG,LAT,LKD,MIA,MLJ,NMX,PAL,PHI,PVN,SEA,TDM,TUS,UTA,WOK P2JW009000-6-A00100-1--------XA

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Page 1: 2013 01 09 cmyk NA 04online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/pageone... · 2018-08-27 · reer modeling clothes. Women’sclothes. At afall fashion shoot, the 5-foot-8 for-mer ricefarmer

YELLOW

* * * * * * WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2013 ~ VOL. CCLXI NO. 7 WSJ.com HHHH $2 .00

CONTENTSCorporate News B2-4,7Global Finance........... C3Heard on the Street C12Home & Digital..... D2-4In the Markets.......... C4Leisure & Arts............ D7

Managing...................... B5Opinion................... A11-13Property Report... C6-9Sports.............................. D8U.S. News................. A2-5Weather Watch........ B8World News........... A6-9

DJIA 13328.85 g 55.44 0.4% NASDAQ 3091.81 g 0.2% NIKKEI 10508.06 g 0.9% STOXX600 286.25 g 0.1% 10-YR. TREAS. À 10/32 , yield 1.871% OIL $93.15 g $0.04 GOLD $1,661.50 À $16.00 EURO $1.3081 YEN 87.04

s Copyright 2013 Dow Jones & Company. All Rights Reserved

Vital Signs

Americans stepped uptheir borrowing in Novem-ber. Consumer creditoutstanding—includingmoney owed on credit cards,auto loans and studentloans but not mortgages—rose 7%, on an annualbasis, from October, to$2.77 trillion. The growthwas driven by a sharp in-crease in nonrevolving credit,which includes studentloans and auto financing.

Consumer credit, in trillions

Source: Federal Reserve

'12

2.3

2.4

2.5

2.6

$2.7

'09'08 '10 '11

>

Apple is working on alower-end iPhone, mark-

ing a big shift in corporatestrategy as its supremacy insmartphones has slipped. Aless-expensive version of thecompany’s flagship devicecould launch later this year. B1 Sony said it aims to es-tablish itself as one of theworld’s top three smart-phone manufacturers as partof its turnaround plan. B4n Dish Network made anunsolicited bid for Clearwire,throwing a wrench into Sprint’splan to buy the 50% of thewireless broadband providerit doesn’t already own. B1n Boeing’s Dreamliner hitfresh trouble as safety officialsopened a formal probe into afire that broke out on an emptyplane and another airline dis-covered wiring problems. A1n Two more members of themanagement team that steeredJ.P. Morgan Chase through thecredit crisis have taken newjobs, as the bank assembles ayounger set of top leaders. C1n A former hedge-fund con-sultant who became a key gov-ernment witness alerted au-thorities to about 20 peoplewho may have been involvedin insider-trading plots. C2n Stocks fell for a secondday as investors awaited thestart of the earnings season.The Dow industrials shed55.44 points to 13328.85. C4nAlcoa swung to a profit,helped by stabilizing pricesfor raw aluminum, increasedsales in the aerospace businessand cost-cutting efforts. B3n Finra plans to shine a lighton dark pools, private tradingvenues that allow buyers andsellers to keep orders hiddenfrom the rest of the market. C3n AIG directors will discussjoining a lawsuit by ex-CEOGreenberg that accuses the U.S.of extracting too-onerous termsfor its rescue of the firm. C3n Google asked the ITC todrop claims that Microsoftwas infringing on two pat-ents held by Google’s Motor-ola Mobility unit. B2n Goldman will begin dis-closing the values of its money-market mutual funds dailyrather than monthly, in abreak with industry practice. C1n The unemployment ratein the euro zone climbed to afresh high of 11.8% in Novem-ber, highlighting the risks con-fronting the bloc in 2013. A8n The IRS is delaying thestart of tax-filing season formost filers by about a week,to Jan. 30. The April 15 filingdeadline will be unchanged. A4n U.S. businesses want gov-ernment help in fighting cy-berattacks, though they stilloppose mandatory safeguards,MasterCard’s chief said. B4n The U.S. is reviewing ac-cidents and mishaps experi-enced by Shell as it startedthe process of oil drilling inthe Arctic Ocean last year. B2

nAmericans aremoving, sig-naling an improving economy.About 3.9% of the U.S. popula-tion, or 11.8 million people,moved to a different county in2011. That was the highestlevel since before the reces-sion and up from the recordlows of 3.5% in 2010 and 2009.Movement between countieslargely reflects job-relatedmoves. The 3.9% rate still re-mains historically low. A1Among the states thatgained population from do-mestic moves were Florida,Nevada and North Dakota.nObama’s picks to lead thePentagon and CIA facemount-ing challenges over issues in-cluding the terror attack inLibya and support for Israel. A4n The lower 48 U.S. statesexperienced the warmest yearon record in 2012, shatteringthe previous mark set in 1998by one degree Fahrenheit. A4nWhite House officialsspeaking ahead of a meetingwith Karzai said the U.S. wouldconsider pulling all its troopsfrom Afghanistan by 2015. A7nVenezuela’s Chávezwillmiss his inauguration, confirm-ing suspicions the leader willremain in a Cuban hospital. A6nTurkish troops battled Kur-dish rebels in southeast Turkey,as the opposition sought to in-fluence new peace talks. A9nAl Qaeda rebelsmoved intosouthern Mali, stoking fears ofa wider conflict as the U.N.weighs how to help Africantroops recapture the north. A9n India said Pakistani soldierscrossed the cease-fire line indisputed Kashmir and killedtwo Indian soldiers. Pakistandenied the accusation. A8nTunisia freed one of themen in custody for alleged linksto the attack on the U.S. mis-sion in Benghazi, Libya. A8n Lance Armstrong plans tobe interviewed by OprahWin-frey, as the former cyclist hasbeen considering a confessionof his alleged doping. A4nCalifornia faces a demo-graphic and economic chal-lenge as the number of chil-dren decline just as babyboomers reach retirement. A2nACalifornia judge said theman accused of killing sevenpeople at an Oakland, Calif.,college is unfit to stand trial.A5n Illinois’s governor called fora panel to fix a public-employeepension gap after lawmakersfailed to agree on a plan. A5nChinese journalists reacheda deal with officials that will lettheir paper publish even ascensorship tensions spread. A6nAChinesemetro train de-railed, killing one worker, thethird fatal subway-constructionaccident in recent weeks. A8nAustralia downgraded thewildfire threat posed by ex-treme heat as a string of blazeswere brought under control. A7nDied: Fred Turner, 80, ledMcDonald’s expansion. B7

Business&Finance World-Wide

Follow the news all day at WSJ.com

personalJournal.

Getty

Images

Perils of theWindows8Upgrade

Where SaltIs Hiding

On the Menu

What’s News–i i i i i i

ZURICH—Switzerland, for decades a paragon ofsafety in finance, is engaged in a high-risk strategyto protect its export-driven economy, literally bet-ting the bank in a fight to contain the prices ofSwiss products sold abroad.

The nation’s central bank is printing and sellingas many Swiss francs as needed to keep its cur-rency from climbing against the euro, wagering anamount approaching Switzerland’s total nationaloutput, and, in the process, turning from button-down conservative to the globe’s biggest risk-taker.

Switzerland’s virtue is the root of its problem:broad confidence in the Swiss currency and econ-omy has investors hungry for francs to escape eu-ros, the currency of its shaky European neighbors.Such demand makes francs more expensive and, inturn, drives up the price of Swiss exports.

In the past three years, the Swiss National Bankhas printed francs to buy euros and other curren-cies in a swelling portfolio of foreign assets fourtimes what it was at the beginning of 2010.

Nearly every major central bank is buying non-traditional assets to resurrect domestic economiesin the wake of the worst global recession in 75years. The U.S. Federal Reserve is buying mort-gages; the European Central Bank is making un-usually long loans to banks; and the Bank of Japanis buying real-estate investment funds.

All risk losing money, but Switzerland’s expo-sure stands out in character and scale: Its centralbank is buying assets from other countries and itsholdings of currencies, bonds, stocks and gold—nearly 500 billion Swiss francs, about $541 bil-lion—are nearly the size of the nation’s gross do-mestic product. In contrast, the Fed’s buying ofbonds and mortgages amounts to about 20% of

PleaseturntopageA10

Americans began striking outfor greener pastures at a pacenot seen since before the reces-sion crippled job prospects, hob-bled home sales and kept manystuck in place.

About 3.9% of the population,or 11.8 million people, moved toa different county in 2011, newCensus figures show. That wasthe highest level since before therecession, and up from 3.5% in2010 and 2009—the lowest levelsince the government began the

tally in 1948.Movement between counties

largely reflects people movingbecause of jobs, demographerssaid. Overall, the increase signalsboth a healthier economy and fu-ture growth because it meansmore workers are being matchedwith jobs that suit their skills.

However, the 3.9% rate re-mains low historically, fuelingdebate about the implicationsfor the economy. The censusdata don’t indicate whether itrose again in 2012.

Anecdotal reports from mov-

ing companies suggest the ratemay have held steady last yearfrom 2011.

It is too soon to tell if movesbetween counties will continueto rise. The increase may befleeting, reflecting pent-up de-mand among young adults andretirees frozen in place by therecession, said Kenneth Johnson,a University of New Hampshiredemographer.

PleaseturntopageA2

BY JOSH MITCHELL

Americans on MoveAmid Torpid Recovery

Boeing Co.’s flagship Dream-liner jet, plagued by years of pro-duction delays before getting offthe ground, hit fresh trouble Tues-day as air-safety officials opened aformal probe into a fire that brokeout on an empty plane, and an-other airline discovered wiringproblems in one of its 787s.

Also Tuesday, a Japan AirlinesCo. 787 preparing to take off forTokyo from Boston was forced toreturn to the airport gate becauseof a fuel leak. The plane thatcaught fire Monday was a separateJAL 787, also in Boston.

The National TransportationSafety Board probe into Monday’sfire is the most serious setback tothe multibillion-dollar 787 pro-gram since Boeing delivered thefirst jet to launch customer AllNippon Airways Co. in September2011, more than three years be-hind schedule following a succes-sion of design and productionwoes.

Boeing has already incurred bil-lions of dollars in cost overruns,including penalties and repara-tions to customers, and it is aim-ing to boost its finances withstepped-up deliveries of the jet.Boeing shares fell 2.6% to $74.13Tuesday on the New York StockExchange, extending Monday’s de-cline.

The NTSB said its examinationso far of Monday’s fire aboard aDreamliner parked at Boston’s Lo-gan International Airport showedthe battery for the aircraft’s auxil-iary power system suffered “se-vere fire damage.”

Meanwhile, United Airlines, aunit of United Continental Hold-

PleaseturntopageA4

BY JON OSTROWERAND JACK NICAS

Fresh JetGlitchesBedevilBoeing

BY BRIAN BLACKSTONE AND DAVID WESSEL

Button-Down Central Bank Bets It All

European

Presspho

toAgency

A Retailer DiscoversChina’s New ‘It’ Girl: Grandpa

i i i

Retired Farmer Becomes Fashion Sensation;He’s 5-8, Thin and Looks Great in Crimson

BEIJING—While other 72-year-old Chinese men spend theirdays practicing tai chi and play-ing mah-jongg, Liu Qianping isenjoying a twilight ca-reer modeling clothes.Women’s clothes.

At a fall fashionshoot, the 5-foot-8 for-mer rice farmer fromcentral Hunan vampedfor the camera in lacygreen tights and whitefur-lined pink dresses.Online and on TV, he hasbecome a meme, withhis image circulated bymillions on Chinese so-cial media sites and talkshows.

He owes his star turnto his granddaughter, Lu Ting, aclothier who struggled formonths to find a model whocould boost her online store

without breaking the bank. “He’sjust so slender,” Ms. Lu says ofher 110-pound grandfather. Shenotes that he looks great incrimson dresses and credits himfor more than quadrupling hersales in recent weeks.

Mr. Liu’s ascent in themodeling realm speaksvolumes about shiftingcultural mores in a fast-aging society. The waifof a man, who goesabout in a three-piecesuit and a bow-tie whenhe isn’t clad in pinksatin, is among a cadreof Chinese seniors whoare all too familiar withcultural upheaval. Theirlives have been markedby unimaginablechange—from survivingfamine to the advent of

fast food. Along the way, manyhave adopted a devil-may-careapproach that flies in the face of

PleaseturntopageA10

Liu Qianping

BY LAURIE BURKITTAND JOSH CHIN

‘Dome of Heat’ Leaves Behind Devastation in Australia

Note: 1 billion Swiss francs=$1.09 billionSource: Swiss National Bank

The Wall Street Journal

The Swiss central bank'sforeign currency investmentsand other balance-sheet assets

Cashing In

500

0

100

200

300

400

billion Swiss francs

2000 '10

Other assetsForeign currencyinvestments

California’s birthrate hastumbled, a report finds............. A2

CHARRED: A firefighter battled a blaze in New South Wales, Australia, as the heat wave that has grippedthe country began to move north toward Brisbane, where temperatures are expected to hit 104 degrees. A7

Visit iShares.com for a prospectus, which includes investment objectives,risks, expenses and other information you should read and considercarefully before investing. Risk includes principal loss. Trading shares ofETFsmay cause commissions and taxes. iShares ETFs must distribute gainsto shareholders. 1. Morningstar, 12/12. 2. Greenwich Associates: 89% of 62institutions using ETFs 2/12 – 4/12 use iShares, among other ETFs. Distributedby BlackRock Investments, LLC. ©2013 BlackRock, Inc. iS-8880-0113

Are yourinvestmentstax efficient?98% of iShares ETFs did notdistribute capital gains last year,extending a decade of leadershipin tax efficiency.1 iShares ETFs aremanaged to helpminimize year-endtax surprises. So you keepmore ofwhat you earn.

9 out of 10 large professionalinvestors choose iShares fortheir ETFs.2

Ask your financial advisor.Call1-800-iShares.Visit iShares.com

CM Y K CompositeCompositeMAGENTA CYAN BLACK

P2JW009000-6-A00100-1--------XA CL,CN,CX,DL,DM,DX,EE,EU,FL,HO,KC,MW,NC,NE,NY,PH,PN,RM,SA,SC,SL,SW,TU,WB,WEBGN,BMT,BRX,CCA,CHR,CKP,CPD,CXT,DNV,DRG,HAW,HLD,KCS,LAG,LAT,LKD,MIA,MLJ,NMX,PAL,PHI,PVN,SEA,TDM,TUS,UTA,WOK

P2JW009000-6-A00100-1--------XA