>> staying put. he said he will not be placed steve ballmer. he told associated rest that he plans to remain. press that he plans to remain. and a paid tv service and the u.s. this year bringing live and on-demand program to tv and two at lay station game console. berlin, a meeting today to urge germany to boost domestic amount -- demand.

hello. welcome to "countdown." i am mark barton. anna will join me in about an hour's time. a bloomberg reporters are standing by and ready to deliver stories that will drive your day. atn chilcote is looking sony's new internet service. mia will highlight comments from emerging markets. focused on head of a trading statement. which hedge fund beats out the rest? jonathan ferro has been digging into the top funds. do not miss that. do not miss john rogers later on "countdown." us at 7:00 in the second hour of "countdown."

alan is out of the race to be microsoft's new chief executive. mulally said he will stay through 2014. hans nichols is here in person. --come back onset eared welcome back onset. >> i couldn't drive the f-150 h ere. he finally ends the speculation that he will not be heading microsoft. andave associated press confirm to bloomberg that he has no plans to do anything other than serve ford. they seem to be having a hard time finding people. there have been a few candidates. eve of qualcomm was in the running. john donohue of ebay was also talking about it.

these last two declined to even be considered. who is left? you have essentially internal candidates. several internal candidates. if you think microsoft needs a fresh ejection, new blood and new ideas, it looks like they will go through the same pool. here the challenge -- you have two former ceos on their board. gates on the board. it is hard to have two ceos second-guessing you every second of the way. >> and a big year for ford. >> it is all about the f-150. it is an aluminum truck. that is what they're going with. it is a be a fuel-efficient truck. they had a couple of banged up years. poised to research in auto sales in the states.

it will not stay that way forever. look at the automakers such as gm and the government assistance. now they are fighting over market share. >> and what does alan mullaly know about technology? maybe he took himself out because he knew he would not get it here and he has ended the speculation that he will not. was always early 2014. they need to make a decision soon. >> now news out. pay televisioned service in the u.s. ryan chilcote has his finger on the pulse. >> sony is going to try to put some money into that idea. there talking to cbs, nbc, fox.

they will offer on-demand services. they will rent out the content. you can rent movies or you can pay it subscription. they start testing almost immediately and they will roll it out by the middle of the year. on the plus side, they have got 70 million web connected devices. .laystation other stuff. they have got the hardware to deliver. the minus is i just got a smart tv. >> it is confusing. >> it is confusing even how to hook it up to be honest. secondly, i can choose between satellite-tv and there are apps on there. netflix is on there. challenge to make it user friendly. that is the key. >> personalized menus. so does everyone else.

content is not cheap. innovate, e have to do trial and error. -- you have to do trial and error. sometimes we zigzagged to innovation and sometimes we fail. you probably do not recognize or remember these products, but don't despair. neither does the rest of the world. [laughter] it is ok. >> i do not recognize any of those. that is the whole idea. it has been almost that long since sony has been king. it is a commodity business. everyone is in on it. the chinese are there. the koreans have been successful. money foreen losing nine years in a row. and he is banging the drum,

is any? -- isn't he? they are doing well the consoles. >> in the last month and a half of 2013, ready good. that itrth mentioning is cheaper than the xbox. a lot of analysts say that the xbox may have longer legs because it has the camera that is pretty nifty. >> later you will tell us about the faux pas after hours. do not say anything at. that is a little teaser. let's check in with our correspondent in hong kong. good morning. >> hi there. the chairman of templeton emerging markets says he sees a revolution in emerging markets in terms of transparency and reform. are stillentals, they

there, folks. he mentions southeast asia has seen a notable extension away from certain hubs. he also mentioned tile and. -- thailand. moneyote that long-term is going to areas outside of bangkok. i think he takes more of a contrary in view. they are said to be underway emerging markets stocks. mobius said you should not write them off completely. >> now we are in a situation where institutional investors and other investors in the u.s. are overweight. they had to diversify otherwise they will be in trouble. you talk about risk.

you have to be diversified to escape the risk that might be inherent in the u.s. market. said fact, mark mobius many key emerging markets are holding this year come including indonesia and india. he believes administrations may feel more able to address these barriers are long-term growth retreat from populist measures. he is a lot more optimistic on chinese banks. >> yep. he certainly is. he said chinese reform initiatives that were announced in late 2013, they could have far-reaching significance. he expects to see some polygraphs -- rye grass this this year.gress regarding chinese banks, this is what he had to say. >> i'm beginning to change my mind and look at this more closely. this finance of

and stuck to their balance sheets. there was this huge issue that acts as a backstop. they are getting merck under bobo what is happening. competition, the spreads that they have been enjoying -- we will have to separate the men from the boys. >> he proposes changes for a sustainable and economic road and china but to create opportunities as well. rex thank you. see you later. let's can the preacher what is coming up on countdown. they prepare to release the trading statement. annual list of the best performing hedge funds. >> could it be the end of the festivities? 35 straight quarters of improving sales.

30 five quarters. that is nearly nine years. it could all end today. sales did decline at st. mary's ainsbury christmas -- s did decline over the christmas period. people are going more upmarket. into what has been eating into the competition. i'll handed over to jonathan. lex that is right. -- >> that is right. they have but together -- put together the biggest hedge funds. one a littleyou bit in the game. 84% last year. i will tell you about the man

who manage the fund and a little bit of insight into his strategy coming up. >> thank you. just ahead, we look at the top trends in tech at the consumer electronics show in vegas. wearable technology. ♪

>> time for today's company news. nintendo surges as tiny list game console ban. they wanted to protect the youth from the corrupting influence of video games. talks -- gap urge talks over cambodia clashes. loreal will stop selling its products in china. says more than 100

employees will be affect his -- affected by the move. welcome back to "countdown." i am mark barton. of latest and greatest everything tech is on display in las vegas at the consumer electronic show. a number of topics is wearable technology should our next guest sees the potential for that. guest. me is my theable technology, that is big thing in technology in 2014. >> yes. that has been a hot topic this year. frome a lot of interest people who are developing wearable devices. >> and that includes smart watches and bands that are fitness bands. which ones are taking off? >> there are main trends we are seeing.

wristle devices on your and whether that is a smart watch that acts as a companion to your smart phone and letting you notice on is calling you or sending you a message, but the other trend is related to fitness. he tracks how much you run or exercise. >> it is not just the tech companies. >> exactly. i.t. have launched a wearable device. there is a band. they talk of intentions to produce her work with partners on wearable devices. >> could sony make inroads in this market? it is a fitness tracker that integrates with an app called lifelong. it wants to make an open system. will a catch on?

>> it is an interesting one from sony. it is not just tracking your health and what you are doing. tracking how you are using your smart phone. it connects with your device. it will track what content you are listening to and what movies you are watching and it will give you a summary at the end of that. >> how long will it take for all of it to make sense to the consumer? i read a piece yesterday from one of our bloomberg journalists that said it would take 10 years for investor to do take -- make sense. of that they had clarity. how long will it take for that standardization within this new space in this wearable device space? >> certainly over the next year we will see a lot of growth. at the moment, the companies are

discovering what is appetizing for consumers. what are they really going to get on board with. be with wearable devices that have a specific function as opposed to mimicking a smartphone or technology that already exists. >> outside wearable devices, the big emergence last year with the onset of bigger smartphones, how will that involve in 2014? sony has gone the other way. it is launching a smaller phone. they think there is a market for smaller phone that has all of the power of their flagship phone. where is size going when it comes to smartphones? >> it depends on the markets. devices,ger screen tablets are popular in asian

markets. the trend there is were smartphones have been around for a significant amount of time, they are looking for a new mobile experience. it is what the largest screen devices offer. there is an awareness that not wereone has such big hands doing such a big device. sony offers a similar experience with a camera and content on the device. >> and then the full phones -- bendable phones if you're watching films? well that catch on? that core verbal television was the big news. curvable tv was the big news. >> we have seen launches from sony -- sorry, samsung and lg.

they talk about curbed and devices. niche moment it is still products. the companies are exploring and seeing what is still possible and interesting to consumers. >> fascinating stuff. we will have you back to talk about the latest trends in 2014. jillian jest. right ahead, dealing from competition. we look ahead. ♪

>> welcome back. this is "countdown." i am mark barton. getting pressure. caroline hyde is here. 35 is the magic number. >> we have had 35 straight quarters, that is close to nine years in which they managed to ramp up like sales. sadly it could all come to an end. we are expecting those sales to fall. hbc says they could see a fall.

sales slowingt because of the competition. we have heard the story many times. taliban more half the population in the u.k. -- it was amazing. literally writing and have the most successful year in the u.k. on one side, undercut. on the other side, it is still it doing good on the food front. on one side are trading up and on the other side they are trading down. maybe it is the best of the bad bunch of how analysts are saying it eared in the weeks before her they's, you did see that inchristmas, they had 17% january. toy generally started

underperform. most of the year, they outperformed. --t of the u.k. p taylor's rs, clearly the u.k. consumer is not frantically buying. that is what many people are concerned about. theiris a whiff of mna in there.- m&a in one company wanted to buy the whole thing. ubs had sainsbury on its list of top most likely targets for 2014. >> watch out for that. thank you. dennis robin made a trip to north korea. -- rodman made a trip to north korea. will this prove that any publicity is good publicity? ♪

>> i am mark barton. these are the bloomberg top headlines. asian stocks rising today after the imf decides to wait to deliver its economic forecast. mark mobius says he still sees fundamentals in emerging markets despite major wall street banks being bearish on the air. says there is a great opportunity. situation where institutional investors and other investors in the u.s. are overweight. they have to diversify or else they will be in trouble. >> millions of the u.s. are

being urged to stay indoors to coldct against the bitter snap. record show tuesday was the coldest day in record years. chicago had a temperature of -20 degrees celsius. that was colder than the south pole. hello. welcome back to "countdown." the latest stop of the u.s. treasury jack lew's european tour takes into berlin. for more on what is on the agenda, we are joined by hans nichols. he is missing the u.s. weather. [laughter] >> when he was the chief of the white house staff, he was lovely. there are two sides to his trip. he can be a good cop or a bad cop. separate almost two

issues. the banking unity has been pretty positive on and gross growthting -- stimulation. clearly -- some xcessries have ec capacity. >> we welcome the progress that france and the partners have made. with the establishment of a supervisor and steps to establish a common bank revolution from her. voice, with his hoarse he is clearly in support of a backstop in the germans are against it. we will see what happens later in berlin. lew will talk about inflation and historical lows in europe. trouble --

sides grabbingh at statistics. we will see how public that becomes. >> is everyone getting up on the germans? >> yes and no. he has an important new ally. less is the need to have -- this is the thing we really care about. eu is pressing the germans on this. they think this is against eu regulation. this is crucial for markle's new el's new covermerk him it. >> how is this going down in germany? >> it was part of the coalition negotiations. i do not quite know why in the north they are more for taxing, but it seems like it is more

popular than the south. >> bloomberg markets released its ranking of top performing hedge funds in 2013. donna ventura is here to tell us how those he came the most successful in the world -- tellhan ferro is here to us how those became the most successful in the word. >> 25% plus again. >> and not many did beat it. on the front cover of bloomberg markets magazine. it beat the s&p 500 last year. for larry, a gain robin. >> who is he? >> a remarkable man. this is politics and this is business. >> he is an offensive guy. >> he really is. >> -- he is an events guy. >> it really is.

this guy was really decisive. >> he likes to go for fewer stops. exactly. >> one of the place he had was medicalare with facilities across very states across the u.s. up 45% by october alone. definite gains. very simple. or people have insurance and turned to the hospitals and are spending more money. >> and a lot of the winners in the top 10 had a similar strategy. >> very much. him.ll us more about >> very smart. two degrees. a degree in engineering. he does not want anyone to talk over his head. >> metaphors are quick and fast. him did ther taught

horse win because it was faster because the others were slow? it is not about who you know. it is not about having the membership at the country club. it was almost a perfect storm. great plans to go to hospitals. this is a man who typically does not like mining companies are editing companies -- energy companies. they were the laggards last two. >> he is not what you would call and activists. >> now. -- no. suggestion totle benefit them. do some acquisitions or share buybacks. he did that would tenet healthcare to some extent. we will talk about them in about an hour's time. coming back -- only 16 beat

the s&p 500. charge upfrontto fees and management fees and performance fees. you invest in the hedge fund are's is because they sold the store that they will give you 20% return no matter what is happening. >> they used to, but there are so many hedge funds now. we're only talking about the big ones. when youemarkable is see a gain in the s&p 500, these guys are under even more rusher to generate those returns. we talked about some of that. ones who go with a simple strategy is to buy stocks , they had it. >> exactly. >> nice job.

if you play with fire, e-mail get burned. a company tied to back out of sponsoring ask about star, dennis rodman's controversial trip to north korea. as sporting stunts go, this one is pretty good. larger than life, dennis retiredeading a team of players into an exhibition match. rodman has a colorful history and says he is close friends with kim jong-un. >> he is a good guy. >> a leader of one of the most oppressive nations and who recently had his uncle beheaded on charges of treason. to make this trip possible, irish betting giant put up the money. -- as controversially

controversy swelled, they got cold feet. they are still paying for it though. they would not say how much here at -- how much. ofre's a history controversy. this commercial is banned in the u.k. was the mostal complained about adding 2010. 2010.in power sponsorship of the event has drawn attention, particularly in the u.s. could this be a case of any publicity is good publicity? >> is on such a plot from a national lampoon movie. onto people argued. ♪

>> here is some of the latest news from ces. sony will be testing a new tv service in the u.s. this year.

the product will make it easier for consumers to switch between live and web-based programs. we are staying with ces. marissa mayer has unveiled her plans to revive sales. she is revamping advertising services and mobile products and digital magazine for technology. coin andaba and bit other virtual currencies. welcome back to "countdown." i am mark barton. two managers were held hostage by unions in france were released while other workers set fire to tires on the site. it sounds shocking, but boss- napping is not that rare in france. caroline hyde joins us with details on that incident. what caused this extreme action?

>> is is pretty extreme. companyt year ago, u.s. said it would close this factor in northern france. it was after five years. they were talking to unions and it disintegrated. they have got to shut it down. that sparked demonstrations outside the headquarters. they said it escalated into violent protests by workers that injured police. it heated up again when two executives were taken. one in hr and the other the manager of the plant. they were allowed to keep their phones. it was civilized, but it was about demanding negotiations for severance packages. two days later, they were let go. the union that represents the workers said they cannot occupy the plant. and the protesters said the show was just beginning.

begun the show has just when it comes to hostage taking. this is not the first time in france. it is quite common. >> it is quite common. international was look to -- >> to buy portion of that plan. >> there when the bail out the plant before the big spat happened. they were claiming that the french only worked three hours a day. >> to have lunch for an hour and a talk for the next three hours. the french radio saying that they are stupid and crazy and you cannot do anything. not so in france. maybe crime pays. french boss-en 10 napping.

sony france, the ceo was taken. the director of 3m. executives had four taken in 2009. it worked. 3% even got 3 million euros out of caterpillar. in 3m, they gave the hostage a mussels and chips and they were given a severance a out -- payout. even though it is extreme, it seems to -- they are saying they will not be held around some and negotiate. i really, it can get more extreme. it is kind of worrying.

trapped i was booby- was triggered to be blown up by workers. was booby-trapped and was triggered to be blown up by workers. it is laughable and serious. you remember austerity struck. it is the lifeguard -- laggard. when you guys spain and portugal, they will look to france and go, give them their phones and waters. lew applauded the french measures on structural changes. he did say a lot more needs to be done. thank you. the electronic world is gathering in las vegas at the consumer electronics show to show off their cutting edge

consumer goods. jon erlichman is in the high- tech haven checking out the latest gizmos, including the next generation of wearable devices. >> you have heard of google glass and the samsung smart watch. we are entered a world of wearables. there are a lot of wearable devices. i figured why not wear myself out. this is a wearable camera. tell you if the light has changed or if i have changed. they can take new pictures. this one measures are heart rate variability. a cost $75. what is cool about is that it knows when i am ready to work out. if i had a heavy workout the day before, it will tell me to wait another day. next up, this is not on the market yet. it measures your sleep and has

got a little emergency button that i can push or if i fall it will alert someone via gps that i am in trouble. up, this is for kids or their parents depending on how you look at it. it cost $199. to yourlace calls parents from this or to have calls from your parents to them. on thes a gps saves certificate goes outside a comic could send a text to say where are you? this is wearable health. it measures things like blood flow and even measures how sweaty i get. it is $200. over here, this one costs $50. they can help you get in shape. talk about getting in shape. i'm feeling worn out.

"bloomberg west," i'm jon erlichman. >> too much choice. around. ♪

>> welcome back. i am mark barton.

we are one hour away from today's european equities session. hans nichols is here. airline is here. -- caroline hyde is here. rew visited every single train station in britain. every single one. he didn't off his own back. over 2000. he took a photo of every single one. he named his favorite and his worst one. it is called station photography. [laughter] what spurgeon was a family photo. a captured the south station in the background. he visited all of the stations. the worst station in britain is a lancashire town. the best one is near here. >> what made it the worst?

>> maybe it was depressing. >> we should go. gainsborough the worst in britain? >> in the states we have 43 after they did a daring raid on headquarters. they finally gave themselves up. there is a new book on it. it'll come out and come clean. it was the perfect crime. fbi.rated the head of the no one knew who they were. >> good story. >> are you going to be the book >> probably not. spying on sole rights leaders and doing bad things. you cannot make any comparison.

>> this one is a bit of a sensational one. this is the daily telegraph eared apparently mouthing off on a flight that they had to make an emergency landing. they needed to have been ad hoc court in a pub. give 2000she had to pounds to the court and she is on bail. it is all because they had to bring her before the court -- it is not great pr for ralph laurent. apparently she was rude and be potentially harming herself for other people on the aircraft. the -- endanger himself?

>> don ledger crashed a party, and at&t party -- john ledger crashed a party, an at&t party. he said he had gone to listen to macklemore and didn't get to see them. >> that is the wrapper -- rapper. >> that is right. he is good at drumming up publicity. >> he has many followers. he is constantly haunting the opposition, if you will. at&t in particular. >> who had heard of macklemore before this morning? >> i had seen them. [laughter] drunk enoughet

-- [laughter] >> stay with us. ♪ . .

>> the following is a paid t-25.tation for focus >> the number one reason people have for not working out is, they do not have time. >> i have four kids. i work 70 hours a week. >> i do not want to work out for an hour.