Asia

The Forgotten Country Where Profits Beckon

"In my travels through Eastern and Southeastern Europe over the last couple of years, I’ve heard time and again about the Germans. They’re everywhere. In Hungary. In Turkey. In Slovakia. In Romania. They’re all over Poland. And like Genghis Khan, they’re invading Kazakhstan in search of oil and gas and other natural resources the Germans need to power the great German manufacturing machine. Honestly, you could do a lot worse as an investor than following Germany around the world. Unlike the U.S., the Germans are flooding into some of the fastest-growth markets in the world – Mongolia, Eastern Europe and Kazakhstan." Continue reading →

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“The Biggest Growth Opportunity in the History of Capitalism”

"While America’s middle class is disappearing, there’s a whole new middle class rising around the globe. Over the past two decades, urbanization and market-oriented economic policies have powered the growth of this new consumer class. This new middle class is demanding access to clean water, clothing, TVs, health care, housing, food … you name it. McKinsey Global Institute calls the rise of this new middle class 'the biggest growth opportunity in the history of capitalism … an economic force that’s over 1,000 times as big as the Industrial Revolution.'" Continue reading →

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India’s recycled Gold supply may hit 300 tons in 2013

"'Jewellers will need more gold to manufacture jewellery, as imports have been heavily restricted. If I sell today and (am) not in a position to replenish my stocks, then I'll have a problem and then I'll have to source gold from somewhere else,' said Bachhraj Bamalwa, director of the All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation, in a interview with Reuters. With the Rupee crashing to new all-time lows on the currency market, however, gold prices are near record highs for Indian households. Indian government has doubled taxes on bullion imports this year to shrink a ballooning trade deficit and end a slide in the rupee. Gold is the country’s second largest import after oil." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIndia’s recycled Gold supply may hit 300 tons in 2013

Dubai’s gold trade waits on India windfall

"UAE’s gold and jewellery trade aims to be a direct beneficiary as India imposes further controls on domestic consumption of the metal in all its forms. But the spin-off for local jewellers will not be confined to tapping demand from Indian shoppers who want to make use of the growing price differential. 'We have heard reports about new controls on gold purchases in Pakistan and higher taxes elsewhere in south-east Asia, all of which significantly raises the attractiveness of buying jewellery here and then taking it back to their home countries,' said Shamlal Ahmad, director of international operations at Malabar Gold and Diamonds." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDubai’s gold trade waits on India windfall

Will the new gold iPhone lead to an unexpected windfall for Apple in China and India?

"Amid all the head-scratching about the apparently confirmed (but not by Apple) rumor of a forthcoming gold iPhone, one observation has come up again and again: It’s likely to be quite popular in China and India. In China, '[N]othing trumps gold as a symbol of wealth and privilege,' Simon Cousins, CEO of China-focused PR company Illuminant told Gizmodo. All Things D, among others, has reported that the gold coating would be an option on the iPhone 5S. Gold is also extremely popular in India." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWill the new gold iPhone lead to an unexpected windfall for Apple in China and India?

Debt of One Quadrillion Yen? Not a Problem

"Haruhiko Kuroda doesn’t wear a wizard’s hat when he arrives at Bank of Japan headquarters each morning. Kuroda has done something truly supernatural in his five months as governor of the central bank. The more yen he conjures up to produce inflation, the more he mesmerizes markets. Yet a week after Japan’s IOUs reached the 1 quadrillion yen ($10.28 trillion) mark, yields have actually declined. What is Kuroda’s secret? The first is what economists call 'financial repression' -- essentially transferring money via monetary policy from citizens to the government. The second is outright monetization of public debt." Continue reading →

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Kim Jong Un woos defectors: Come home. We won’t kill you … promise

"North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is taking a new approach to defectors who have fled his impoverished and repressive state, promising they will not be harmed if they come home, and even offering cash rewards, according to some in the exile community. That’s in sharp contrast to the approach taken by Kim’s father, who during nearly 20 years in power hid the issue and severely punished the families of those who defected, fearing they would undermine the state with their tales of the prosperous South. Exactly why Kim has taken a different view of defectors is unclear." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingKim Jong Un woos defectors: Come home. We won’t kill you … promise

New turbine to capture energy from both wind and waves slated for testing

"A Japanese company is set to test a new power generation system which -- for the first time -- should harness the energy of both the sea and the wind to feed the demand for electricity on land. That's the dream of chief visionary Takuju Nakamura, anyway. At the Tokyo headquarters of his company, Modec, Nakamura explained that the new turbine design should generate about twice as much power as a traditional wind turbine of the same diameter. Nakamura explained that 80 to 90 percent of the power generated would come from the large wind-catching turbine floating over the sea, with another underwater turbine expected to produce the rest." Continue reading →

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Fukushima apocalypse: Years of ‘duct tape fixes’ could result in ‘millions of deaths’

"It will be hot, uncomfortable, your senses shielded, and you would be filled with anxiety. You are standing on a building that is close to collapse. Workers will have to be removed and replaced often. So you don't have the benefit of doing such a critical task and knowing and trusting your comrades, as they will frequently have to be replaced when their radiation dose limits are reached. If they exhibit physical or mental signs of radiation exposure, they will have be replaced more often. It will be one of the worst, but most important jobs anyone has ever had to do. And even if executed flawlessly, there are still many things that could go wrong. " Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFukushima apocalypse: Years of ‘duct tape fixes’ could result in ‘millions of deaths’

Japan’s nuclear crisis deepens, China expresses ‘shock’

"The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Wednesday it viewed the situation at Fukushima 'seriously' and was ready to help if called upon, while nearby China said it was 'shocked' to hear contaminated water was still leaking from the plant, and urged Japanto provide information 'in a timely, thorough and accurate way'. The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co, or Tepco, has been criticized for its failure to prepare for the disaster and has since been accused of covering up the extent of the problems at the plant. After months of denial, Tepco recently admitted the plant was leaking contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJapan’s nuclear crisis deepens, China expresses ‘shock’