tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54068086811033657162011-12-06T22:14:23.030ZLa beauté est dans l'oeil de celui qui regarde.exotiquenoreply@blogger.comBlogger761100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-57803467975650306622011-12-06T22:05:00.001Z2011-12-06T22:13:50.701Z

'Offensive' Web Content Targeted in Asia (wsj.com) - For whatever reason this is a disturbing article. Sounds very much like Big Brother take one for me. Plus this: "South Korea also allows people to be criminally punished for defamation and the country is one of just a few, including Japan, where truth is not allowed as a defense against libel." Maybe I should be reading the constitution of

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-75680773474544210532011-11-24T22:08:00.001Z2011-11-24T22:16:23.047Z

US blocks key fund in climate agreement (FT.com) - Economic downturn is just an excuse. What shows here is the lack of ability/ capacity to handle a number complex multifaceted problems at once. We have expanded too fast over the past two decades but we didn't realise that we are no longer in the driving seat. Economic problem, environmental issues, political turmoil, collapse of faith in

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-66873714310658979782011-08-15T21:59:00.002Z2011-08-15T22:07:35.575Z

North Sea oil spill is 'substantial' (ft.com) - Yet another one... On another note, given the recent slump in market activities and the chaos in both the US and euro zone, I can't help but to think that it has become quite evident that the investors have lost faith in the policy makers/ governments in the western countries, rather than in the industries/ sectors/ companies. It is clear that

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-63083426013503855192011-06-28T21:16:00.002Z2011-06-28T21:24:18.190Z

Have been on the road for work lately... And it's the first time that I see how it is possible (one day) for me to actually become a Diamond member of Marco Polo's...China enters shale gas era with tender offer(ft.com)- The current Fortune 500 companies list is bound to change at some stage as more and more Chinese companies only need to feed on domestic market/ demand in order for them to grow

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-38391272072029124362011-06-08T21:19:00.003Z2011-06-08T21:31:16.303Z

US universities in Africa "land grab"- I often wonder if people make decisions solely based on commercial reasons or would they tap into their conscience first as well? In this case, the investors can claim that the projects/ investments would do good to the region however it seems that in the greater scheme of game it would impose a greater external cost to the society as a whole. Obviously the

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-57114131705424482282011-05-30T21:14:00.002Z2011-05-30T21:28:20.237Z

Germany to scrap nuclear power by 2022(ft.com)- This is the first major political shift from nuclear to green therefore significant and indicative. A number of trends to follow:(1) public consensus has been moving towards green and reached a critical mass whereby their influence already "outnumbers" those of the relevant industries or interested groups;(2) change in policy/ political campaign and

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-29442012477789743292011-05-23T21:39:00.002Z2011-05-23T21:45:57.598Z

India starts trade talks with African countries in effort to rival China(guardian.co.uk)- Another scramble for Africa.

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-69646444947022276692011-05-09T22:58:00.007Z2011-05-23T21:46:20.562Z

Richest students to pay for extra places at Britain's best universities(guardian.co.uk)- There are, quite a number of issues worthy noting here. The idea behind "charging candidates who can afford international rates" so to "free up spaces for publicly subsidised candidates" seems like a good idea. However it omits the fact that: (1) money is never an object to the richest students therefore "

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-45042514543432615532011-04-13T08:21:00.004Z2011-04-14T23:45:04.441Z

It's been ages since I last updated this blog. Why was that? Well I have been working on this massive project since late 2009 and am still treading along this treacherous trail. However with the change of mindset, I've decided to adjust my focus and concentrate on the things that really matter in life.So do expect more ideas and thoughts to come!3-D Avatars Could Put You in Two Places at Once(

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-34262288397689282352009-01-04T23:06:00.004Z2009-01-04T23:10:51.592Z

Middleman in the Middle East(By James Harkin. Published: January 2 2009 12:38)Sometime in the late 1980s, a British embassy vehicle was inching its way through the mountains of Balochistan in Pakistan when angry tribesmen barred its path. The tribespeople were in dispute with the government over water rights and when they caught sight in the car of what they assumed was a British diplomat – who

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-5860270521066299872008-11-04T22:28:00.003Z2008-11-04T22:40:41.306Z

With the US Presidential election coming to an end, let's divert and go back to our favourite topic: Africa.West Africa: Unbroken Line(FT.com)- A new kind of "resource curse" for the West Africans while their harbours have become another paradise for the drug cartels (mainly from South America) for cocaine trafficking.- Just an idea here: what would happen if we legalise the drug business? Based

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-9302731474830331042008-10-27T22:34:00.001Z2008-10-27T22:36:03.892Z

Agricole brokerage arm takes pay cutBy Sundeep Tuckerin Hong KongPublished: October 27 2008 09:27 | Last updated: October 27 2008 18:53Hundreds of top staff at CLSA, the Asia-focused brokerage arm of Crédit Agricole, have agreed to a take a voluntary pay cut of up to 25 per cent to stave off the threat of redundancy.The firm’s 500 most senior employees were ordered to say, by Monday at the latest

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-8383741172065476902008-10-18T22:30:00.003Z2008-10-18T22:37:16.291Z

Negative equity "to reach 2 million"(by TimesOnline.com)- This article describes the recent surge in number of repossession of houses with mortgages in arrears as a result of the financial turmoil and how that has now started to affect the "real economy." Perhaps the banks should adopt a different approach in dealing with those delayed payments (amongst which most are of insignificant amount!) -

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-23148939994711483592008-09-30T23:56:00.002Z2008-10-01T00:03:18.627Z

Had an interesting chat with my pal Donovan last night over dinner. We talked about what would be the "right" investments in the midst of a financial turmoil and great volatility. It was obvious that the market would plunge further amid a few bounce-backs until later 2009, and that volatility shall remain high thus making "timing the market" impossible for anyone sane. Therefore the "right" way

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-10714469072807781272008-09-10T22:42:00.001Z2008-09-10T22:46:43.401Z

Beams of Subatomic Matter Mark Start of Exotic Physics Test(By ALEXANDRA ALTER, WSJ.com)Particle physics is a messy business, and it's about to get messier. Physicists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, switched on the world's most powerful particle accelerator on Wednesday, sending the first beams of subatomic matter around a 27-kilometer race track buried about 100

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-33695484181545682552008-08-03T00:05:00.002Z2008-08-03T00:10:18.229Z

The Miliband Brothers- It's interesting to see how David Miliband made himself at the gateway amid the declining popularity of the Labours by taking the stand against the current PM. Due to similar age and background, both Milibands are perceived as the next Blair & Gordon competing against Cameron. It would be very interesting to see how the brethren go from here. Now, 2 interesting articles to

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-13463769381390199932008-07-29T22:54:00.004Z2008-07-29T23:15:53.188Z

Beware the Hype of KKR's IPO(by Brett Arends, WSJ.com)- Couldn't agree more. One should definitely look at this in a skeptical mannerIndian, Pakistani Soldiers Trade Fire Along Kashmir Border(Associated Press, WSJ.com)- Slumping economy, raging pollution, shaky social stability, and numerous warfare across the globe: what do we do now? The clash between India and Pakistan is nothing new but this

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-41226286910905126542008-07-14T22:50:00.002Z2008-07-14T22:54:22.720Z

Sudan's Bashir charged with Darfur war genocideSudanese president, Omar al-Bashir, charged with genocideLet's just pray for the people who suffers in the atrocity and that justice is brought to light at soonest.

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-72310057253768831382008-06-09T22:43:00.003Z2008-06-09T23:16:53.113Z

In Energy Policy, McCain, Obama Differ on Role of Government(from WSJ.com)- Obama said: "I'll spend more money on alternative energy including ethanol, wind, solar and nuclear;" while McCain believes that: "Not a single dime should be spent on energy policy in terms of subsidy and/or grant. The market has to sort this out on its own." Since when did the Democrat become Repulican and the elephant

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-88538450223833713892008-05-29T23:00:00.003Z2008-05-29T23:06:19.215Z

- Recount of the story behind the Bear-JP merger by WSJ - classic suspense - Definitely worth a read! Bear Stearns Neared Collapse Twice in Frenzied Last DaysPaulson Pushed Low-Ball Bid, Relented; a Testy Time for DimonBy KATE KELLY, May 29, 2008; Page A1, Wall Street JournalIt had been a rough day, but when Alan Schwartz headed for home on Friday, March 14, the Bear Stearns Cos. chief executive

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-81977514763691328382008-05-20T22:51:00.003Z2008-05-20T23:00:27.920Z

Failing its people(from Guardian.co.uk)- Lack of social service, failure to acknowledge the existence of xenophobia (and a whole lot including HIV/AIDS), and an unchanged mentality amongst the ruling party which results in a general policy of discriminative nature (against anyone but the Zulus?) have provoked the anger and the social unrest. Nigeria Asks $19.1 Billion from Shell, Exxon Mobil(from

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-56645667595594682282008-05-19T23:06:00.002Z2008-05-19T23:19:59.381Z

Thousands flee South Africa attacks(from BBC.co.uk)- As the model state of Africa, S. Africa is revealing another side of its face to the outsiders. Yet how could such horrifying attacks happen right in the street of Jo'burg? 新總統今就職 馬英九時代來臨(from UDN.com)- It's a historical moment for Taiwan - this could be the beginning of a brand new era, economically and politically - Taiwan now has the chance

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-57119481397510336112008-05-17T00:15:00.003Z2008-05-17T00:20:13.385Z

- This proposed policy shall have grave impact on how the wealthy nations battle against global warming and how our earth will become in the next 50 years.UK demands repayment of climate aid to poor nationsDeveloping countries attack plan to offer warming help as loans instead of grants(by John Vidal, guardian.co.uk, May 16, 2008)Britain's £800m international project to help the poorest countries

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-47155285918186722662008-05-08T23:03:00.005Z2008-05-08T23:11:21.137Z

Courtesy of Wall Street Journal. URL for this article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121018928727674565.html'Saudi Arabia of Milk' Hits Production LimitsNew Zealand Dairy Thirsts for Capital, A Big Issue in FoodBy PATRICK BARTA, May 8, 2008; Page A1, WSJ.comASHBURTON, New Zealand -- As global food costs rise, triggering protests from Egypt to Indonesia, it's clear the world needs more

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-3973843948237898122008-04-24T04:10:00.002Z2008-04-24T04:13:54.304Z

Nigeria panel to probe oil industry abuses(from FT.com)"... MPs will also seek to establish how billions of dollars awarded by the state to joint ventures between the NNPC and Western majors such as Royal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron and Total were spent."- Hope this is for real.

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-42461566135663301852008-04-14T22:52:00.003Z2008-04-24T04:14:34.721Z

Electoral Theft(Times Online)- I've been watching the election of Zimbabwe very closely and cannot agree more with this article. Mbeki's support for Robert Mugabe is loathsome. I'm not saying that democracy is the right answer to all questions. But it is crystal clear that Mugabe has violated the right as a human being of every Zimbabwean. Why is Mugabe any different from the militant in Darfur?

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-91607428760952680892008-03-13T22:47:00.002Z2008-03-13T22:56:52.510Z

Zardari Leads for Premier"ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- The widower of assassinated leader Benazir Bhutto has emerged as the front-runner for Pakistan's prime minister, with a majority of legislators in his Pakistan People's Party backing him..." (from WSJ.com)- Why am I not surprised at all... The court simply started dropping previous corruption & criminal charges against him in order to pave the way

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-27428562316812154652008-03-10T23:01:00.005Z2008-03-10T23:24:50.592Z

Two headlines:Blackstone Books Quarterly Loss Amid Difficult Market ConditionsCarlyle Capital Offers Details of its Fragile StateIt appears that both mega private equity firms are having trouble with their creditors. However, the flip side of the coin is that - with all these years they have been unstoppable in terms of making an investment and have access to almost all levels of politicians in

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-82940389656652712802008-02-20T06:16:00.003Z2008-02-20T06:18:13.506Z

A good article on the most critical question that Taiwan is facing:滷蛋在哪裡？ by 國立中山大學政治經濟系 副教授 劉孟奇

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-65077014367760899102008-02-20T02:24:00.004Z2008-12-09T02:16:15.743Z

So many things are happening recently: Pakistani election, the step-down of Fidel Castro, independence of Kosovo, Kofi Annan in Kenya, Spielberg condemning China's support to the Sudanese government, Brown nationalising Northern Rock, etc.Yet my favourite story has to be the retirement of Castro. He's like THE icon of a fleeing epoch. He along with Che made all leftists in the past century

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-2055949196349069932008-02-20T01:40:00.003Z2008-02-20T01:48:03.898Z

- They have more money than we do!Crédit Agricole to back microlendersBy Peter Thal Larsen in London(from FT.com, February 18 2008)Crédit Agricole is to join forces with Grameen Bank, the pioneering provider of microfinance, to support fledgling microlenders around the world.The French banking group said it would inject €50m ($73m) to endow a foundation which will work with Grameen to provide

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-574815870306890442008-02-20T00:37:00.002Z2008-02-20T01:38:45.186Z

The Pakistani election has finally come to an end with the opposition parties gaining the majority vote - that is, combining the PPP and PLMN. Nawaz of PLMN made it very clear that he wants Musharraf out of the picture whereas the ex-military chief insists that he'd stay to "assist in the transition." On the other hand, Zardari of PPP has not announced their next move - either continue on a

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-1329352337700289262008-01-28T22:46:00.000Z2008-01-28T23:04:46.318Z

This is definitely not just a Pakistan-specific phenomenon as similar voting pattern can be found in the rural regions of almost any democracy on the planet. My favourite quote is from Ms. Abida Hussain commenting on Musharraf's rebuttal when accused of plotting the assassination of Bhutto. Musharraf refuted such allegation by saying that he does not kill people because he is "not a feudal and

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-79202069158407135402008-01-25T02:28:00.001Z2008-01-25T02:30:35.966Z

This has to be THE most thrilling news from yesterday afternoon (HK time of course). 5bn Euro! Man this is HISTORY!A ROGUE TRADER COST France's Société Générale $7.2 billion by making huge unauthorized trades that he hid for months by hacking into computers. Bank executives remain unclear about 31-year-old Jérôme Kerviel's whereabouts and motives... (from WSJ.com)

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-34374000578448231322008-01-22T22:36:00.000Z2008-01-22T22:41:37.225Z

"Also hanging over the market was massive selling by banks seeking to reduce their balance sheets in anticipation of continued volatility in the markets. Some so-called fund of funds, which allocate money to hedge funds on the behalf of investors, are also behind the market's woes. In recent years, some of these fund-of-funds, particularly ones based overseas, have borrowed money to rev up their

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-27687447357729182542008-01-11T06:06:00.000Z2008-01-11T06:13:46.625Z

KENYA: It’s the economy, stupid (not just “tribalism”)NAIROBI, 9 January 2008 (IRIN) - The wave of violence that engulfed Kenya after the presidential election has been widely described as tribal or ethnic in nature. But analysts in the east African country point to basic economics as the true cause of the unrest.Widespread violence and a humanitarian crisis were triggered by the 30 December

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-4845635515035492052008-01-02T22:24:00.000Z2008-01-02T22:42:38.012Z

It's 2008.Dow Jones slumped 220.86 (1.7%) to 13043.96 and oil hit $100 a barrel. "The ISM* number was really the coup de grace" - a good quote from WSJ.I've also been watching the post-election progress in Kenya - death toll now over 300.Pakistan has been making the headline again since Bhutto's assassination. What I'm most interested is how much sympathy can be drawn by such incident? Apparently

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-83746242017457542662007-11-26T21:55:00.000Z2007-11-26T22:23:35.154Z

Market crash amid nervousness - "Credit markets are in worse shape now than at the height of the credit panic this summer. In one sign of risk aversion and tighter lending conditions, the spread between high-yield bonds and Treasury notes has widened to 570 basis points, according to Lehman Brothers, compared with 449 basis points in mid-August.""HSBC Restructures Two SIVs(by WSJ.com, November 26

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-11194468434605224102007-11-20T03:27:00.000Z2007-11-20T03:29:50.252Z

China's Sovereign Wealth FundForges Strategy, Hunts for Staff(By RICK CAREW, WSJ on November 20, 2007)BEIJING -- China's $200 billion sovereign wealth fund is beginning to shape its strategy, as it embarks on a global hunt for staff and makes its second investment.Facing domestic criticism after watching its $3 billion stake in Blackstone Group LP sink in value following Blackstone's June initial

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-85961753349455397272007-11-14T22:29:00.000Z2007-11-20T03:30:03.447Z

Musharraf Announces Plans To Step Down as Army Chief(from WSJ, November 15, 2007)-- This is very refreshing... Let's see if he sticks to what he says THIS TIME. And the whole incident just proves how silly Bhutto is: did she really believe that the people would accept her with her scandalous history and stupidity? Clearly she's not the person to rule a country and Musharraf is way too politically

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-52786318137184931212007-11-04T03:51:00.000Z2007-11-04T03:58:39.575Z

Karachi - Pakistan is much better than the regular soap pop. Musharraf declared state of emergency the other night and had military stood by in Karachi. Bhutto's political position is now unclear (deem to lose all things in the end anyway). And as expected, this declaration came 3 days ahead of the proposed date for the announcement by Supreme Court on Musharraf's legitimacy. Rumour has that his

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-65622784627294715132007-10-30T22:55:00.000Z2007-10-30T23:12:26.285Z

Transportation vs. CO2 emission - Another report on the potential impact of increasing transportation on the emission of carbon dioxide. I've always wondered, how could someone publish something based on a set of assumptions that had clearly been fabricated in catering for a pre-determined result?! And how could the government, obviously who had commissioned for this report, publish such thing so

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-44626573042649839362007-10-29T22:34:00.000Z2007-10-29T22:57:39.082Z

Bubble - Of course we're witnessing not only the formation of a giant bubble, but each of us has also more or less contributed to the aggravation of this uproar. How? by spending more, borrowing more, and saving less. But none of those matters. What's actually going on is that a major shift in asset allocation has been taking place with investors gradually withdrawing from the developed markets

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-45671067258394565252007-10-25T22:57:00.000Z2007-10-25T23:04:04.075Z

Given the amount I'm paying each month those bloody fools, oh hell, my money... I want it back now!What you can really expect from MPF when you retireHongkongers "seriously" underestimate the benefits of the Mandatory Provident Fund, according to a survey commissioned by a top MPF provider.(bu Jake van der Kamp, SCMP, October 27, 2007)What's this about underestimate? The only error of estimation

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-32876359932685986622007-10-24T22:58:00.000Z2007-10-24T23:12:44.572Z

Ongoing investigation in Pakistan - the suicide bombing event in attempt to kill Bhutto is now the hottest news in town. No one seems to care about Musharraf's legitimacy anymore. Inevitably this makes me very suspicious so I cannot help but to careening towards the possibility of a stage drama organised by the coalition. And there's war going on in the north as well - how's ordinary life

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-53266902186841158142007-10-11T00:52:00.001Z2007-10-11T01:16:17.994Z

My notebook is totally fucked up so I can't surf on the Internet while I'm at home - and I'm too lazy to take home my office one - so really, no more WSJ/FT reading every morning. Yet I'll try to squeeze out some updates from time to time.HK market - up and rising. Strong momentum from China as almost everyone is rushing to get a piece of pie. 2828.HK should have no problem breaking HK$200.Taiwan

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-10885517443139505572007-10-10T06:02:00.000Z2007-10-10T06:11:33.674Z

On Pakistan - I was reading this article from Daily Times which talks about how the deal between Musharraf and Bhutto may anger the Pakistani. Of course it will set the people off! This is pure extortion and a perfect display of slicing the power pie. Bhutto was sent off due to numerous charges of corruption and now she's offered to lead the govt again? Probably worse than having Musharraf doing

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-36827931495702653862007-10-10T05:58:00.000Z2007-10-10T06:01:33.654Z

-- A very interesting article on how China has gradually replaced the role of Europe and USA in Africa. Apology for those who can't read Chinese. But you get the picture right?不再想歐美 非洲「中國夢」正酣儘管中共在非洲大肆擴張影響力仍引發部分非洲領導人疑慮，但對許多非洲民眾來說，中國已成為他們心目中頭號「機會國度」。過去許多非洲人想到歐美發財致富的「美國夢」和「歐洲夢」現在被認為不切實際，取而代之的是「中國夢」。華盛頓郵報六日報導，中國在非洲各地大規模興建道路和探採石油之際，一些小跡象還顯示，中國的影響力正在滲透非洲社會。在一些電力還是奢侈品的非洲偏遠地區，

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-87938378153350376632007-10-06T00:36:00.000Z2007-10-10T06:11:50.921Z

On Pakistan - Big overturn on the eve of the presidential election. The Supreme Court ruled that any result will not become effective until further ruling on Musharraf's legitimacy of his candidacy. How disappointed he must have been, especially already after signing off the amnesty for Bhutto. My question is that will Pakistan be better off with the coalition anyway? Bhutto did a lousy job

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-41307489127027553102007-10-03T23:21:00.000Z2007-10-03T23:25:58.765Z

Mainland rules to prevent foreign control of brokers(from Bloomberg, Oct 04, 2007) "Overseas companies would be limited to owning stakes in publicly traded brokerages, with the foreign holding capped at 20 per cent, the sources said...... Previous investments in mainland securities firms were made by special arrangement with regulators.Morgan Stanley helped set up China International Capital Corp

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-71717236201429998352007-10-02T22:27:00.000Z2007-10-10T06:12:12.401Z

Bull market it is - Job slash by Morgan Stanley and CSFB in their fixed income department. Dow surged despite weakening economic data. HSI rose 1,057.28 (3.9%) to a record high of 28199.75 amid slightly lower PMI*. It just seems that everyone is loaded with cash, and that it seems most sensible to "invest in the future" rather than "spend on clothes," regardless of the "fundamentals" (now now, I

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-39542226047295720422007-10-01T22:40:00.000Z2007-10-01T22:57:26.221Z

What can I say? It's soaring everywhere. Despite more news on the credit crunch, the Dow passed 14,000; Sensex is at its pit stop to 18,000+; not to mention what will happen to the HSI during this Golden Week Holiday; S-shares in Singapore; TAIEX; Nikkei 225; the world is super bullish while most of the big banks are writing off huge loss incurred by their fixed income department. And we hear so

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-7171482874131262682007-09-27T22:42:00.000Z2007-10-02T23:02:29.171Z

Africa, the new money frontier(from Mail & Guardian Online, 26 September 2007)-- Our African dream...China Set to Kick Off FundOfficials Still Debate Use of $200 Billion; Fending Off Lobbyists(from WSJ.com, September 28, 2007)-- The Chinese Temasek starts to roll

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-16706457679411189812007-09-20T22:33:00.000Z2007-09-21T23:30:16.276Z

Nasdaq, Borse Dubai Reach Takeover Deal for OMXQatar Buys 20% Stake in LSE(by WSJ.com on September 20, 2007)"Nasdaq, under the agreements, said it will acquire all OMX shares through a two-step deal, in which Borse Dubai will purchase OMX through its existing offer of 230 Swedish kronor ($34.68) a share in cash. Borse Dubai will then sell OMX to Nasdaq for 11.4 billion Swedish kronor ($1.7

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-23010649007583382352007-09-19T22:42:00.000Z2007-09-19T22:48:34.251Z

Agency Launches Brokerage Unit In China Market(from WSJ.com on September 20, 2007)- Beijing-based, state-owned debt-clearing agency Huarong Asset Management Corp started its securities business and is in talk with a potential partner (a foreign investment bank) to form a JV which can underwrite and trade yuan-denominated stocks. Registered capital around RMB 1.5 billion (US$200.7 mn). The most

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-37040560360482867592007-09-17T22:44:00.000Z2007-09-17T22:46:55.392Z

Goldman, China Partner Might Go Separate Ways(from WSJ on September 18, 2007)

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-16340185255131740392007-08-26T02:56:00.000Z2007-08-26T03:11:42.058Z

The World's Smokestack(August 25, 2007, NY Times)-- A series of reportages on the real cost behind China's development. I can personally vouch for the truthfulness of the footage especially after seeing the seriousness of water pollution in southern China last time I traveled there on a business trip. This country is expanding at a very high cost despite the government's advocacy on

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-90247974272606739462007-08-21T23:17:00.000Z2007-08-21T23:19:43.977Z

Inequality Check(Review & Outlook on August 21, 2007; Page A14 of WSJ)-- According to the Asia Development Bank's report, there is "significant increases in inequality across the region" as measured by the Gini coefficient. However, the ADB also notes that, it is largely due to the fact that the rich are becoming richer faster than the poor are, rather than snatching from the poor. I agree with

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-71270090688304647232007-08-20T23:11:00.000Z2007-08-20T23:14:28.102Z

Beijing Clears China for Hong Kong Trade(By ANDREW BATSON on August 21, 2007 at WSJ.com)"... Investors who want to take advantage of the trial program must open accounts at Bank of China Ltd.'s branch in Tianjin, a northern port city near Beijing, and the bank's Hong Kong brokerage arm, BOCI Securities Ltd. Tianjin has been designated as a trial area for some financial overhauls, but in practice

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-63435196361937955252007-08-08T02:54:00.000Z2007-08-08T03:08:21.816Z

The Sociology of Economics(by Greg Mankiw on August 2007)-- A resident at the Harvard hospital asked for Mankiw's opinion on some of his observation on economists from those professional seminars. Mankiw in turn directed the questions to one economist who attends the seminars regularly. The economist gave some very interesting feedback (maybe a bit egoist as well). The 3 questions proposed by the

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-53718937552297192642007-08-05T00:08:00.000Z2007-08-05T00:10:27.290Z

Evil ways of the drug companies(by Ben Goldacre on Aug. 4, 2007, The Guardian)

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-16820609446569926232007-07-31T02:57:00.000Z2007-07-31T03:00:51.979Z

Goldman Bets Hedge Money of Its Own(By Jenny Anderson of NYTimes on July 27, 2007)- A new way of fund structure and management: inhouse hedge fund combining pricipal trading and asset management.

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-90362088697878311352007-07-24T01:19:00.000Z2007-07-31T02:59:16.858Z

Transocean Merger Deal May Spur More Tie-UpsShortage of Rigs Lifts Drillers' Profit To Record LevelsBy GUY CHAZAN, RUSSELL GOLD and JASON SINGERJuly 24, 2007The planned $18 billion combination of Transocean Inc. and GlobalSantaFe Corp., the world's two biggest offshore-drilling contractors by market value, could herald more consolidation in a sector where a shortage of deepwater oil rigs have

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-47826640280270224492007-07-24T01:12:00.001Z2007-07-24T01:26:16.496Z

The World's Capital: Going GlobalIn Bid to Land ABN, Barclays Taps Funding From China, SingaporeBy CARRICK MOLLENKAMP and JASON SINGER and JASON DEANJuly 24, 2007... Barclays PLC, its plans to acquire ABN Amro Holding NV of the Netherlands in a friendly transaction spoiled by a richer bid from a rival consortium, reached halfway across the world to government entities in China and Singapore to

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-23242251493213968742007-07-20T07:08:00.000Z2007-07-20T07:10:07.118Z

自７月初多隻新股掛牌後，預期新股市場將趨淡靜，除因投資銀行「放暑假」的季節性因素外，中證監不鼓勵集資額少於１０億美元（約７８億港元）的國企赴港上市，亦繼續困擾本地新股市場。消息透露，全國最大鉬業生產商之一的金堆城鉬業、新疆有色金屬工業及中國船託很大可能放棄Ｈ股，改投Ａ股上市。另外，消息透露，本已決定於下周舉行路演的內地不銹鋼加工商大明國際，由於叫價與投資者期望有分歧，遂決定取消上市計劃。據了解，公司希望以９倍至 １２倍市盈率招股，惟投資者卻認為公司的市盈率過高。１名基金經理說：「大明的同類型公司利記（０６３７），其市盈率僅為單位數字。」若以利記昨日收報 ３﹒２０元計算，其預測市盈率僅為５﹒３９倍。 大明取消上市，加上可能會有更多大型國企捨Ｈ股改投Ａ股上市，將令今年在港上市的內地企業買少見少。消息人士透露，金堆城本擬以Ａ＋Ｈ形式上市，但 由於集資額將少於原先預期的１０億美元（約７８億港元）

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-36380355892938385732007-05-20T03:54:00.001Z2007-07-20T07:11:14.203Z

Africa’s Storied Colleges, Jammed and CrumblingBy LYDIA POLGREEN, May 20, 2007 (from New York Times)DAKAR, Senegal, May 19 — Thiany Dior usually rises before dawn, tiptoeing carefully among thin foam mats laid out on the floor as she leaves the cramped dormitory room she shares with half a dozen other women. It was built for two.In the vast auditorium at the law school at Cheikh Anta Diop

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-47050270388176169782007-04-27T04:15:00.000Z2007-04-27T04:26:50.349Z

KKR, Goldman seal $8bn Harman buy-out(By James Politi in New York, FT.com)'On one hand, private equity groups have been increasingly turning away from "club deals", in which they team up with rivals, in favour of offering equity in the deal to their investors and banks financing the transactions. Having public shareholders own an "equity stub" is an extension of that trend. From the seller's

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-17713544102256034862007-04-11T10:18:00.000Z2007-04-11T10:22:35.020Z

Industrial demand for corn increasing A dramatic increase in the use of corn to produce ethanol would require increased output of the grain and could lead to higher prices. (China Daily) China to increase corn output to 150 mln tons in 2010 The Chinese government has announced that it will strive to boost corn production to 150 million tons in 2010 to meet the booming demand for animal feed

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-694507659308483502007-02-10T02:42:00.000Z2008-12-09T02:16:16.349Z

Grand alliance(from the Guardian)- By studying and living in the "catpial city" of Scotland (a.k.a. Edinburgh), I was able to get a better glimpse of the so-called rivalry between the Scots and the English. This article was written by a Scotsman, who has spent most of his life living in England, on the recently heated discussion of Scotland's proposed independence. A very interesting and rather

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-20430216238131379162007-01-24T05:51:00.000Z2007-01-24T06:02:44.381Z

I've been busying myself with all sorts of matters (work, studies, etc.) and lots of flying back-and-forth between HK and TPE, thus have been rather reluctant in further boosting my productivity. But will soon be able to settle down (early Feb).

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-77830425537480194262007-01-18T02:02:00.000Z2008-12-09T02:16:16.505Z

China Profit-Tax Plan Rattles Developers(from WSJ.com)"... An index of Shanghai real-estate stocks plunged 9.3% yesterday -- although profit taking partly explained the drop, as the property index jumped 159% in 2006, beating the 130% rise in the Shanghai Composite Index. Among the biggest losers yesterday were shares in residential builder Vanke Co., which fell 10% -- the limit for Chinese

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-2728501847953348152007-01-17T07:02:00.000Z2008-12-09T02:16:16.696Z

Lake Chad fishermen pack up their nets(from BBC News)- Yet another report on how global warming is affecting our everyday lives. Eventually our planet will turn into a place with only 2 kinds of weather: arid & boiling, and dark & freezing. Carbon emission is the main culprit, but what's causing it? wastes from livestock, all kinds of pollution, consumption of energy, everything! As long as we

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-24421884053864271692007-01-12T22:35:00.000Z2007-07-31T02:59:41.598Z

After the special report by Time magazine on the Top Ten Scandals of 2006 nominating the Taiwanese president Chen Shui-bian and his family as number 5 on the list, there's been great discussion among the general public within and outside of the island. In a nutshell, the whole scandal involves Chen's wife, who is now standing accused of embezzling state funds; while also includes Chen's

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-78585228876533398672007-01-12T00:43:00.000Z2008-12-09T02:16:16.933Z

Chávez seeks extension of powers andThailand imposes limits on ‘vital sectors’(both from FT.com)- Venezuela and Thailand are two countries that are currently going through some radical structural changes which inevitably casts a significant impact on the economy and financial markets. Venezuela is transforming from democracy to Chavez's version of socialism; whereas Thailand is increasing its

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-24296979676782706472007-01-11T03:29:00.000Z2008-12-09T02:16:17.079Z

WEF Calls for Better Assessment of Risk(from WSJ.com: Markets)- Although this may be nothing new as any serious multilateral organisations would either self-perform or hire someone to conduct risk analysis prior to any major projects, but it is still an interesting idea advocated by the World Economic Forum about how governments and large companies should install a "Chief Risk Officer" in dealing

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406808681103365716.post-33788939127580770662007-01-11T00:32:00.000Z2008-12-09T02:16:17.097Z

An article from the Guardian on the proposed 20% cut in greenhouse gas emissions in the EU drew my attention as I was browsing through the headlines.How can those environmental problems be solved by economic theories? That was the centre of our quest in my natural resources economics class in U. of Edinburgh. All in all, apart from economists' all time favourite - energy tax, an exchange market

exotiquenoreply@blogger.com0