Yearly Archives: 2013

Massive Kenya water discovery will transform drought-prone ‘cradle of mankind’

"UNESCO and the Kenya Government today announce the discovery of one of the worlds largest underground water aquifers in the desert north of Turkana, an area best known for fossils, famine and poverty. The finding by Radar Technologies International (RTI) was made using space based exploration technology called WATEX system. The largest aquifer at 250 billion cubic meters of water which is equivalent in volume to Lake Turkana one of the largest lakes in the Great Rift Valley, and 25 times greater than Loch Ness. More importantly the annual recharge rate, the amount of water that can be sustainably exploited per year, is estimated to 3.4 billion cubic meters." Continue reading →

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The true raw material footprint of nations

"The amount of raw materials needed to sustain the economies of developed countries is significantly greater than present indicators suggest, a new Australian study has revealed. Using a new modelling tool and more comprehensive indicators, researchers were able to map the flow of raw materials across the world economy with unprecedented accuracy to determine the true 'material footprint' of 186 countries over a two-decade period (from 1990 to 2008). The study was published today in the US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It reveals that the decoupling of natural resources from economic growth has been exaggerated." Continue reading →

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Africa’s baby-boom: Population to double by 2050

"By 2050, many African states will likely more than double in population. Kenya will rise from 44 million to 97 million people, and Nigeria from 174 million to 440 million. Some nations will nearly triple their growth, the reports finds. Somalia will have 27 million people in 2050, up from an estimated 10 million today; the Democratic Republic of Congo’s 71 million population is predicted to rise to 182 million. The total number of people on the continent is predicted to rise from 1.1 billion to 2.4 billion. India, currently the second most populous country in the world, will overtake China to become the most populous by 2030. The US population was estimated to rise from 316 million to 400 million." Continue reading →

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Jim Rogers warns of world economic slowdown, praises RMB

"Rogers reiterated his optimism on the RMB, describing it as 'the only currency that can compete and replace the U.S. dollar.' A recent BIS report showed that the Chinese yuan has broken into the top 10 of the most traded currencies in the world for the first time. 'I will buy more RMB whenever I can. If anyone wants to sell RMB, come and see me afterwards,' he quipped during his speech. He praised the government's endeavors to make the currency more convertible, but hoped that the pace could be faster. In contrast, Rogers called the U.S. dollar 'flawed' and 'troubled'. However, he still has to own the dollar because people go to the greenback when there is economic turbulence, he said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJim Rogers warns of world economic slowdown, praises RMB

Pay heed to the internet’s Third Wave Cows of Disruption

"'We don't do PayPal, we don't do any of the credit cards. They charge too much, that eats into our profits, and we have to pass that on to the consumer. Direct payment and Bitcoin, they cost us nothing.' Yes, Bitcoin. Honest Beef started accepting the digital currency earlier this year. Is anyone using it? 'Plenty,' Moloney said. 'The last two animals we sent off, we had [those] two pay by Bitcoin, and we've got a third waiting. We're probably getting 10 to almost 20 percent of our customers paying by Bitcoin now.' Now, there's nothing particularly high-tech about Honest Beef. There's a website and Bitcoin, sure, but the rest is just telephones and trucks, emails and evisceration." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPay heed to the internet’s Third Wave Cows of Disruption

When Every Day is Payday

"Had you gotten into Royal Gold Inc., right when this Chaffee player kicked into action, you’d be up 4,536%. That’s the kind of explosive power these royalty plays have once they start collecting on their income streams and passing the gains directly to you. And when I say 4,536% gains, I’m not even including the dividends Royal Gold has paid out. Today Royal Gold pays out an annual 80-cent dividend — which, based on today’s $57 share price, puts you at a 1.4% yield. But that’s the thing. Now everyone knows about how great Royal Gold is… and so the price has driven higher to match. So you should be looking for something smaller, newer and ready to grow." Continue reading →

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Gold By The Planeload! Precious Metals Update Part II

"If you believe that gold and silver prices are due to recover, like I do, then you should look for plays that can surf the wave. In particular, you want companies unburdened by debt and not locked into large, complex, expensive projects. Does that ring any bells? Let’s consider royalty companies… Royalty companies own interests in mine production without taking on operational risks and costs. That is, royalty guys 'loan' money upfront to capitalize the mine developers, usually at an early stage. In return, the royalty company lays claim to an ongoing income stream generated in the future by the mining project. It’s a well-understood form of project finance, in many instances." Continue reading →

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Five Ways To Play Gold and Silver: Part I

"Times are tough for miners. Costs are high. Metal prices are low. Share prices and market capitalizations are in the pits, so to speak. Overall, sentiments toward the mining sector are negative. The 'commodity super-cycle is over,' if you believe the headline writers of the Financial Times or The Economist. Still, with a recent upturn in metals prices are there opportunities in this scenario? I believe there are still some bargains out there — and if metals prices inch higher over the coming days and months, a few well run miners should pay off handsomely." Continue reading →

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South African gold miners strike over ‘slave wages in white man’s economy’

"About 80,000 gold miners in South Africa walked out on strike on Tuesday night, raising fears of renewed violence in the crisis-hit industry and underlining the government’s dwindling authority. The dispute over pay comes a year after 46 people died during unrest in the platinum belt and amid signs that the century-old mining industry model is broken. For years South Africa was the world’s top gold producer, accounting for more than two-thirds of output in 1970, but it has slipped to fifth place with just 6% of global production. The NUM is demanding rises of up to 60% after talks broke down." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSouth African gold miners strike over ‘slave wages in white man’s economy’

The Smartphone Wars: Nokia gives it up for Microsoft

"If Elop was a mole, what were his instructions? 'Elop. Go forth. Destroy Nokia so we can buy things we already effectively control for huge amounts of money.' I’m put in mind of the wave of mergers in the 1980s among mainframe computer manufacturers, what we called at the time 'dinosaurs mating'. Those didn’t make any sense either; when you merge two huge, doomed, inefficient thunder-lizards together you don’t tend to get a mammal. Meanwhile – and of course – Android continues to stomp its competition flat. Even the post-Jobs Apple can’t stem the tide; it’s pretty close to the 10% niche market share I predicted back in 2009 already, with no sign that trend will or can be reversed." Continue reading →

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