Latest news with #Wouters
CNBC
22-07-2025
- Business
- CNBC
China's affluent are as pessimistic about the economy as they were during the Covid-19 pandemic
BEIJING — China's affluent are feeling just as poorly about the economy as they did during the pandemic. That's according to a study of affluent Chinese released this month by consulting firm Oliver Wyman, which found 22% of respondents were negative about the economy when surveyed in May. It just exceeds the 21% seen in October 2022, just before Beijing announced plans to ease its stringent zero-Covid policy. When asked about the five-year horizon, respondents were far less upbeat than they were back in 2022. "That to us is a fundamental shift in mindset," Imke Wouters, partner at Oliver Wyman, told CNBC. "If you think, 'I'm not having a good financial situation now,' your spending, saving patterns will be very different." "The longer this [drags] on, the more negative they become about the long term future and the more cautious they come on spending," Wouters said. These findings come as China recorded a slowdown in retail sales growth, and persistent deflationary pressure as businesses slash prices to compete. Sliding prices in property, which accounts for the majority of household wealth, have also weighed on sentiment. Oliver Wyman's research was conducted from May 16 to 27. The firm has conducted similar surveys over the last three years. The latest study covered 2,000 households with a monthly income of over 30,000 yuan ($4,180). That's a fraction of consumers in China, where the per capita disposable income in urban areas for all of last year was 54,188 yuan. That's far less than the $64,474 reported for the U.S. as of December. Young people (aged 18 to 28) in the affluent income bracket who live in China's largest cities were the most pessimistic of the four age categories, recording the greatest drop in sentiment in May this year from April 2024, the survey showed. The unemployment rate for those aged 16 to 24 has remained in the mid-teens despite the overall jobless rate remaining far lower at around 5%. Survey respondents aged 29 to 44 were the most optimistic, especially when it comes to their five-year outlook. In China, most of the wealth sits with millennials and Gen X, Wouters said, referring to those broadly between the ages of 30 and 60. She attributed their relative optimism to higher levels of accumulated wealth and job stability, as well as the sense that the "good old days" might return — a perspective she suggested might come with age. China's official consumer confidence index has remained depressed since hitting a record low of 85 in November 2022, when China restricted movement in an effort to prevent Covid-19 outbreaks. The latest print was 88 as of May, according to the latest available data from the National Bureau of Statistics, accessed via Wind Information. People in China have become significantly discouraged by perceived "unequal opportunity," which in 2023 became the No. 1 reason respondents believe people are poor, jumping from No. 6 nearly two decades ago. That's according to the latest survey conducted in 2023 by a team of researchers led by Martin King Whyte of Harvard University and Scott Rozelle of Stanford University, who have been monitoring the shifts since 2004. The survey found that across all income brackets, more respondents thought their families' economic situation had declined in 2023 compared with previous years. But despite their negative sentiment on the economy, many affluent Chinese are more keen to travel internationally than they were just before the pandemic. Rather than spending on a luxury product, for example, they would rather "spend on something that can make [them feel] better now," Wouters said. "You just want to enjoy the moment," she said. Oliver Wyman predicts the share of affluent Chinese traveling internationally this year will reach 37%, above the 32% level seen in 2019, before the pandemic. So far, 27% of respondents have already traveled abroad, with 10% more expected to make a trip later this year. Still, affluent Chinese aren't necessarily traveling back to pre-pandemic hot spots such as the United States, the report said, noting that they are sticking closer to home instead. Chinese travel to Malaysia and Japan has already made a full recovery to 2019 levels, Oliver Wyman's analysis showed.
Vancouver Sun
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
Abbotsford Canucks Live: It's Game 4 from Texas. Follow our live coverage here
Chase Wouters is embracing one of the biggest challenges in the AHL Calder Cup playoffs. The long serving and highly-respected Abbotsford Canucks captain has to lead by example on the ice and motivate his teammates on the bench and in the room. That shouldn't be a problem. As an undrafted and undaunted 25-year-old prairie product, who hasn't played an NHL game, he knows about incentive. Following a turnover-prone 5-2 loss to the Texas Stars in Game 3 of the Western Conference final on Monday, Wouters must be at his motivational best tonight in Cedar Park to keep the hosts from evening the best-of-seven series at two games apiece. It's a 5 p.m. start (Pacific). Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The winner will face the Charlotte Checkers, who swept the Laval Rocket in the Eastern Conference final, for the league championship. Wouters is a third-line grinder and knows a lack of goal production to support winger Linus Karlsson is a problem. The Swedish winger has eight goals to share the playoff lead with former Canucks winger Kole Lind, and is also third in points with 15. Rookie winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki hasn't scored in six games and has just one in 12 playoff outings after striking for 19 goals in 36 regular-season games. Centre Max Sasson is goalless in eight games, despite leading the post-season with 45 shots, after collecting 13 goals in 41 games during the season. Veteran winger Sami Blais doesn't have a goal in a dozen playoff games, but has 11 points (3-8). He has also accumulated 67 penalty minutes and must stay out of the box tonight. The Stars struck for two power-play goals Monday and also had two short-handed markers. 'The highs and lows, that's what this time of year is all about,' said Wouters. 'You try to keep it level as best you can and be ready. Right from the start, we can't sit back. They (Stars) are good in transition and have a lot of guys who can make plays, but it's getting back to what makes our group successful. 'We have a lot of belief and you don't get to this point without believing in each other. We'll re-set and keep our foot on the gas.' The Canucks also need to tighten up in their own end. Workhorse starting goaltender Arturs Silovs faced 18 shots in the opening period in Game 3 and the Stars struck three times to gain momentum. Abbotsford didn't have an answer for shifty winger Matej Blunder, who scored twice in the first frame — power play and short-handed tallies in a span of 1:32 — to give the Stars a 3-1 lead. 'We should have known they had a push coming — they have a really good team,' added Wouters. 'They came out hard and won their battles and that kind of put us on the back foot. There are some areas we need to clean up and we need discipline. We'll be better.' bkuzma@ ( MORE TO COME …) • Abbotsford Canucks recap: Artūrs Šilovs does it again, Abby wins 1-0 to go up 2-0 in series • Does Abbotsford's success mean Malhotra will outskate the Canucks? • The Abbotsford Canucks' strong season and what it may mean in the long run
Edmonton Journal
04-06-2025
- General
- Edmonton Journal
Abbotsford Canucks Live: It's Game 4 from Texas. Follow our live coverage here
Article content Following a turnover-prone 5-2 loss to the Texas Stars in Game 3 of the Western Conference final on Monday, Wouters must be at his motivational best tonight in Cedar Park to keep the hosts from evening the best-of-seven series at two games apiece. It's a 5 p.m. start (Pacific). The winner will face the Charlotte Checkers, who swept the Laval Rocket in the Eastern Conference final, for the league championship. Wouters is a third-line grinder and knows a lack of goal production to support winger Linus Karlsson is a problem. The Swedish winger has eight goals to share the playoff lead with former Canucks winger Kole Lind, and is also third in points with 15. Rookie winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki hasn't scored in six games and has just one in 12 playoff outings after striking for 19 goals in 36 regular-season games. Centre Max Sasson is goalless in eight games, despite leading the post-season with 45 shots, after collecting 13 goals in 41 games during the season.
Hamilton Spectator
09-05-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
‘I am a hitman': Jury sees accused's Google Translate history in murder trial
'I am a hitman.' That is one of the phrases in Alessandro Giammichele's English-to-Spanish Google Translate search history while he was in the Dominican Republic in early 2019, a jury heard Thursday at the John Sopinka Courthouse. Staff Sgt. Rich Wouters of the Hamilton police told the jury that Giammichele's phone history also included translation data saying, 'How I deal with things usually ends up with people dead.' In addition, Wouters testified Giammichele's phone included translation history that said he 'did a lot of bad things' and 'took care of a big problem' in Canada — and that he was in the Dominican Republic 'hiding out and planning my revenge.' 'I enjoy hurting people,' another translation search read. 'I'm very good at it.' Marko Bakir, 31, was shot five times in the driveway of his west Mountain home around 8:15 p.m. on Nov. 22, 2018. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Giammichele is charged with first-degree murder in Bakir's killing. He has pleaded not guilty. Assistant Crown attorney Elise Quinn previously told the jury of eight men and four women that while Giammichele didn't physically pull the trigger, he played a 'fundamental role' in the killing. Quinn said the alleged 'hitman' who shot Bakir five times was Abdelaziz Ibrahim, who is now dead. In 2018, Bakir, who had recently been awarded a $350,000 settlement following a motorcycle crash, lent Giammichele $100,000 to invest, Quinn previously told the jury. The loan came with a contract and repayment schedule — but Giammichele didn't pay it back. Wouters, the primary investigator on the case for 19 months, testified he arrested Giammichele for murder and seized his phone at Pearson International Airport when he returned to Canada from the Dominican Republic on May 10, 2019. Wouters said police recovered data from the phone that showed Giammichele's Google account signed into the phone on Nov. 22 at 10:19 p.m. — a little over two hours after Bakir's murder. The court saw text messages from the seized phone in late November 2018 which said the phone was Giammichele's new number. The jury was also shown surveillance video from Pearson International Airport on Dec. 4, 2018 — less than two weeks after Bakir was murdered — which Wouters said showed Giammichele going through customs before leaving for the Caribbean nation. Wouters testified the Google search history recovered from the phone shows numerous searches for 'Hamilton Mountain shooting' and related topics. In addition, text messages and search history data show Giammichele was researching flights to the Dominican Republic in the days following the murder. He said Giammichele's phone also included translation searches saying he bought and sold 'kilograms' of cocaine and that he had a 'mafia and hitman life' and was a 'very powerful businessman.' In other testimony, Wouters told the jury that police executed search warrants on March 28, 2019, at addresses on Hendershot Road in Hamilton and Thames Street South in Ingersoll related to Vlad Sulug. A phone number associated with Sulug was identified as a contact 'Zio' in Giammichele's phone, he added. While police were executing the search warrants, Wouters said call data from Giammichele's phone shows numerous calls to Sulug — including five in a 15-minute span. A red Ford F-150 pickup truck was also seized by police from Sulug. When searched, Wouters said police found a receipt from Nov. 30, 2018, with Giammichele's name and address on it in the driver's door. Quinn previously told the court the accused drove a red Ford F-150 pickup truck at the time — and the truck was captured on surveillance footage from two different cameras in Bakir's neighbourhood. When asked by Quinn, Wouters said there was 'no reason to believe' a second person was involved in Bakir's killing early in the investigation. After viewing surveillance footage of a man running in Bakir's neighbourhood minutes after the shooting, Wouters said the individual does not 'appear to match' Giammichele's description. He added he never heard Ibrahim's name during his time in the investigation. The trial continues Friday.
The Guardian
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Hiroshige's peerless prints, McCartney's unseen snaps and Vancouver's blue skies – the week in art
Hiroshige: Artist of the Open RoadIt's not hard to see why Hiroshige was Van Gogh's favourite Japanese printmaker – his colours have a radiant intensity almost without equal in art. British Museum, London, from 1 May until 7 September Do Ho Suh: Walk the House Installations that play with images of home by the noted Korean artist based in London. Tate Modern, London from 1 May until 19 October The World of King James VI and I The 17th-century ruler of both Scotland and England presided over an edgy cultural golden age. Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh from 26 April until 14 September Robert Thomas James Mills: Extratemporal An exploration of the nature of time and space by this Glasgow artist. CCA, Glasgow from 3 May until 24 May Lisa Milroy: The Colour Blue Paintings of blue skies and memories of a Vancouver childhood from an artist best known for her still lifes. Kate MacGarry, London from 3 May until 31 May Here you can see Brian Epstein, Mal Evans and Neil Aspinall setting off, with four mop-topped popsters, for New York in February 1964; one of the hitherto unseen glimpses into Beatlemania's birth shared by Paul McCartney, opening at the Gagosian gallery in Beverly Hills, California, today. Read the full story here The days of controversial and shocking Turner prize shortlists are over Scientists weren't sure a paint in the 'new' colour they've discovered has the right mix Mao Ishikawa's photographs honour people regarded as 'less than human' elsewhere Yinka Shonibare has filled a 2,200 sq m building in Madagascar with his works Royal exhibition will show 70 artworks of Charles touring the world over 40 years Richard Wright's new show is a mind-bending and mesmerising visual adventure Survivors of abuse have curated work by once revered sexual abuser Eric Gill JMW Turner, born 250 years ago this spring, remains Britain's greatest artist Ali Cherri's primeval sculptures use ancient artefacts to make new work Graven Hill, the UK's biggest self-build experiment, has lost some creative chaos Nymphs Surprised By Satyrs by Franchoys Wouters, about 1650-60 This painting belongs to a genre that flourished for hundreds of years, so it presumably pleased someone. First take your woodlands – tenderly, atmospherically painted by Wouters in shades of green and brown – then depict nude women resting in a leafy bower, in this case on luxurious bedding. It was a combination pioneered by the Venetian artists Giorgione and Titian in the early 1500s and taken up by later artists including Poussin and Rubens – in whose studio the painter of this canvas had worked. Such peepshow pastorals were among the first canvases to be bought by private collectors for personal enjoyment. Yet in this example, Wouters (again, following Titian) mocks the male viewer by adding lustful satyrs who peep at the snoozing women: look all you like, he laughs, but don't think you're better than these goatish voyeurs. He adds another twist. The two nymphs face each other and their feet touch as they lie in close tranquility: the satyrs have chanced on same-sex forest lovers. As ever in art, there's more going on than first meets the eye. National Gallery, London If you don't already receive our regular roundup of art and design news via email, please sign up here. If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@
