The combination of an increasingly global economy, greater productivity from technology and outsize investment returns has shifted a rising share of money to the wealthy. Of all the dollars earned in 2012, more than 22 percent went to the top 1 percent …

“An estimated 100 million of China's 1.34-billion population are now affluent enough to buy quality imported consumer goods. They have become more prosperous and now demand for more sophisticated products, with a greater emphasis on quality, …

And not all products are equal. Mr Merkel notes stronger demand for “hard” luxury items such as vehicles and jewellery than for “soft” goods such as clothing. Accessories do very well, in part because of lower prices – for some, a pair of Prada …

According to the Luxury Institute, a New York-based consultancy, 67 per cent of affluent consumers now shop via mobile. So it's hardly surprising that there has been a whole new slew of shopping apps, from offshoots of existing … Last year, Apple …

At the border point of Izvarine, a line of cars that stretched for several kilometers was filled with refugees who had fled to Russia but briefly returned during the cease-fire to grab all the household items they could. An August agreement between …

China's newly prosperous typically rush into real estate, cars and luxury items such as expensive watches, said Rupert Hoogewerf, the Shanghai-based publisher of Hurun, China's best-known "Rich List." "Inevitably, more sports cars will be sold in …

… cash on the porch of the house. Other items have been taken behind the closed roller doors of the garage. … Loud thudding was heard from inside the single storey brick house in the unassuming affluent north western Sydney street. Several forensic …

Their products are diverse, but Chinese-style stone lions and kylins account for up to 70 percent of the products, and are the “best-sellers.” Their clients are mostly affluent people or dignitaries who use the mascots as office gifts or present them …

The affluent are ordering their children's dresses online from GAP, yet others are addicted to Gilt.com, a New York-based flash sales portal. There is a market to buy and sell second-hand products, too, ranging from bird cages to cars. According to a …