Baidu’s wild rollercoaster ride

Investor’s in Baidu.com, Inc. (BIDU) have been taken on wild ride since the stock debuted in early August, 2005. In the little over a year since Baidu launched its IPO, the stock has seen a high of over $120, a drop to mid $40’s and a recovery to current levels over $90. I’ve written in 2005 that Baidu was severely overvalued, especially with the company’s lack of earnings and operating history. Baidu’s outstanding recovery from mid $40’s levels begs a re-analysis of the stock.

Scratchpad

http://www.dhgate.com/index.jsp

alibaba.com

http://www.made-in-china.com/

http://ga.ichinatours.com/

http://www.china-bay.org/index.htm?hop=sinart&gclid=CJm9u6HBzIcCFSAFTAodRHwFGA

http://allthingsbiodiesel.blogspot.com/

http://www.diligencechina.com/blog/

http://www.demochina.com.cn/index_eng.asp

http://www.jakeludington.com/demochina/

http://www.engagingchina.com/


Buffy may be lookin at these:
China Merchants Bank
China Construction Bank (0939)
Bank of Communications (3328),



http://en.pkedz.com/newEbiz1/EbizPortalFG/portal/html/index.html





Seeking to expand its China operations, Morgan Stanley (MS) acquired Nam Tung Bank, a small commercial bank located in the southern city of Zhuhai from Bank of China for an undisclosed amount. Nam Tung only has one branch and 30 employees, but what's important is its commercial-banking license and thus Morgan's ability to apply for and offer more products such as structured derivative products, home mortgages and corporate loans. Morgan's China CEO commented, "This platform will allow us to provide a wider array of new product capabilities that are currently offered only by commercial banks with a presence within China."

http://huffalump-business.blogspot.com/2006/10/bodisen-biotech-little-fertilizer.html







http://www.webb-site.com/
This site is a non-profit site on HK's corporate and economical governance




http://www.hkex.com.hk/index.htm
http://www.hkex.com.hk
http://www.hkex.com

All lead to the Stock Exchange of HOng KOng

Asia Studies

Listing of documents on market trends in various regions in Asia.

FDA OKs Cephalon's Fentora

Cephalon (CEPH - news - Cramer's Take) said late Monday that it received government approval to begin marketing a cancer-pain drug, Fentora.

The company announced that the Food and Drug Administration had endorsed the drug for patients who are receiving -- and who can tolerate -- opioid therapy. Fentora's label carries the agency's strongest warning about the dangers of abusing the drug, which is classified in the same category as powerful drugs like morphine and methadone.

Red Hat Gets a Boost

Shares of Red Hat (RHAT - news - Cramer's Take) rose on heavy trading Monday, as investors bid the stock up in anticipation of Tuesday's second-quarter earnings report.


At the close, shares of the Linux software developer were up $1.04, or 4.2%, to $26.07, although the stock was down 27 cents after hours. At more than 6 million shares, volume was 70% higher than average.

The stock was aided by a flurry of positive notes from sell-side analysts at Citigroup, Credit Suisse and Global Equities Research.

Steel Bends Under Pressure

Shares of steelmakers, such as U.S. Steel (X - news - Cramer's Take) and Nucor (NUE - news - Cramer's Take), are bending under the pressure of an analyst downgrade from UBS this morning. They're now in danger of a major breakdown.

Revlon Cuts Jobs, Drops Brand

Revlon (REV - news - Cramer's Take) plans to cut 8% of its workforce and discontinue its Vital Radiance brand, which has sustained big losses since its launch earlier this year.

Shares of the beleaguered cosmetics company fell 17 cents, or 14%, to $1.07 in midday trading Monday.

Maven: Bring Out Your Brain-Dead - HP

At least Hewlett-Packard (HPQ - news - Cramer's Take) didn't dole out backdated options to a dead executive like Cablevision (CVC - news - Cramer's Take) did, but the way things are developing along Hewlett-Packard Way, maybe they spied on a deceased board member.

Chrysler's China Patterns

DaimlerChrysler (DCX) hasn't committed to building the subcompact car it plans for North America in China yet. But if such a plan is announced in the next several weeks, it will likely be the first of at least a few more such arrangements, as automakers take advantage of China's low-cost manufacturing to put more small, fuel-efficient vehicles into U.S. and European garages.

IBM Pushes "Service Products"

From a corporate point of view, the best thing about info tech services is that, if everything goes right, a company gets all the handholding it needs to obtain exactly the software applications and computer systems it wants. Problem is, that's also the worst thing about them.

Big Tobacco: Back in Legal Limbo

The last few months have seen a string of favorable legal developments for the tobacco industry. In July, the Florida Supreme Court threw out the long-running Engle class-action case, eliminating the threat of a $145 billion damage award handed down in the case years earlier. And in August, U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler sent tobacco stocks through the roof in a case brought by the Justice Dept. Kessler declined to levy any financial penalties on the industry, despite finding it guilty of racketeering. After years in which an unprecedented wave of litigation had threatened to bankrupt the industry, the tide seemed to have turned decisively in Big Tobacco's favor.

CinemaNow's Internet Cliff-Hanger

The movie download business just got more fast and furious. On Sept. 26, online movie distributor CinemaNow announced it will sell a $9.99 downloadable version of Universal Pictures' new home video release "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" that can be burned to a digital video disc and run on standard DVD players.

Jajah's Mobile Ambitions

You might call Jajah the clunkier Skype. Since February, the Mountain View (Calif.)-based startup has allowed people to make calls from their landlines or cell phones for free or at very low rates. Jajah is funded by Sequoia Capital, the same venture capitalists that invested in YouTube and Apple

Sun: Out From Behind The Clouds

Tech industry mavens had their doubts about Jonathan I. Schwartz when he was promoted to chief executive of Sun Microsystems Inc. (SUNW ) in April, replacing longtime CEO Scott McNealy. There was the ponytail, which helps Schwartz look a lot younger than his 40 years. He also has a brash style that seemed to be out of sync with Sun's grim realities. Did this Web 2.0 CEO have enough gravitas to run a struggling computer company?

GM and Ford: Cost Cuts Only the Start

These carmakers aren't likely to haul themselves out of the ratings ditch anytime soon, according to S&P

Samsung: A Rosy Future for Memory Chips

The global memory chip business has always been known for its boom-and-bust cycles. This has made life difficult in the past for manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics, the world's biggest maker of memory devices. But Samsung Electronics President Hwang Chang Gyu insists the industry dynamics have changed dramatically.

Japan's Carmakers Outrun Rivals in China

The six major automakers from Japan are coming on strong in the fastest-growing auto market, with new model rollouts and production expansion

Could Apple Become Games Console King?

For all the hype about iTV, here's another potential application: iGames. Could Steve Jobs and co really have their eye on the console market?

How Do Your Customers Pigeonhole You?

I am struck by how many young growing companies have three or four product or service lines

Yet when I inquire how the sales divide up, it's never one-third or one-fourth each. Invariably, one of the lines accounts for 60% or 70%

The Week in Stocks: Wal-Mart Shakes the Drugstore Industry

Wal-Mart shook the drugstore industry Thursday when it announced that it would soon lower the prices of nearly 300 generic drugs to $4 for employees and consumers in the state of Florida.

No shortage of bubbles and troubles

As the residential-housing market deflates, similar bubbles rise elsewhere, making the case for higher interest rates in this 'Lady Macbeth economy.'

The stock and bond markets rallied after the Federal Reserve held short-term interest rates steady at its Sept. 20 meeting. Investors believe that the Fed has successfully steered the economy between too hot and too cold, and we're headed for a just-right soft landing with inflation under control and the economy growing at a solid pace. The so-called "Goldilocks economy" will push both stock and bond prices higher.

Renault exec says GM must confront Toyota: reports

PARIS (Reuters) - A key Renault executive indicated in quotes cited by newspapers on Tuesday that U.S. carmaker General Motors did not share the same sense of urgency as do Renault and Nissan to fight rival Toyota.

CDC Benefits from Acquisition and Organic Growth

David Riedel of Riedel Research Group recently published this note for clients as to why CDC Corp. (CHINA) is a buy opportunity.

Crude Oil Falls on Expectation of U.S. Fuel Inventory Increase

Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Oil fell on the expectation that U.S. fuel inventories, already above seasonal averages, will increase further.

A U.S. Energy Department report tomorrow will probably show motor fuel supplies rose for a sixth week, gaining 800,000 barrels, according to a Bloomberg News survey. Distillate stockpiles, including heating oil and diesel, probably advanced for a seventh week, gaining 1.7 million barrels, according to the median estimate of seven analysts.

OPEC holds key to stem falling oil prices: CGES

LONDON : Oil prices will probably drift lower in the absence of an OPEC output cut amid fading geopolitical tensions, the Centre for Global Energy Studies said in a monthly report.

Russia hits back at US in plan to redirect gas to Europe

MOSCOW : A Russian plan to re-route a significant amount of natural gas from a huge new field originally intended for the US market to Europe is a political move linked to deteriorating US-Russian relations, analysts have said.

Ikea to open 24 stores this year, hire tens of thousands

STOCKHOLM : Swedish furniture giant Ikea plans to hire tens of thousands of workers over the next few years as it opens dozens of new stores, including 24 in the coming year, it said in the online edition of a Swedish financial daily.

China to centralize pension funds after Shanghai scandal: report

SHANGHAI : China plans to centralize the management of pension funds, state press said Tuesday, a day after Shanghai's Communist Party boss was sacked for alleged graft involving his city's retirement program.

Keppel unit wins billion-dollar contract in Qatar

SINGAPORE : A unit of Singapore's Keppel Corp. has won a one-billion US dollar contract to build a waste management facility in the Gulf emirate of Qatar, the company said.

Softbank planning to raise funds from Vodafone assets

TOKYO : Japanese Internet firm Softbank has said that it plans a major issue of new bonds backed by Vodafone KK assets to cover a short-term loan it took out to buy the cellphone operator.

Korean Air announces new service to Guangzhou

SEOUL : Korean Air has announced a new regular passenger service between South Korea's main international airport at Incheon and China's southern economic hub city of Guangzhou.

China Medical Testing

Newsweek just ran a story on problems one might encounter while engaging in medical testing in China. Entitled, "Meds and Miracles," this article is necessary reading for anyone doing business in China, not just those doing medical testing.

China's New Bankruptcy Laws: Not Quite So Good For Business

Last month, I posted on China's new bankruptcy laws, scheduled for a June, 2007, enactment. That post was entitled, "China's New Bankruptcy Laws: Good For Business," because it looked like China would soon have a comprehensive bankruptcy code that would facilitate lending and collection. The new law will put creditors before employees and my post talked about how the law was being delayed until June, 2007, so China's state owned enterprises (SOEs) could file for bankruptcy before June, 2007, to avoid coming within the new provisions.

Doing Business With China And The World

Vietnam -- Tastes Like China Lite

The reality is that the Saigon Park Hyatt can do what it does because labor costs in Vietnam are so low. Anyway, I was picked up at the airport in a new Mercedes E class. It had water and towels and I was given a music playlist. I chose Vietnamese songs figuring when in Vietnam .... (Yes, I know riding around in a chauffeur driven Mercedes isn't exactly "Vietnam."). It cost $28.

The Chinese Are Coming, Part IX -- With NASDAQ Listings

The Wall Street Journal [subscription may be required] just did a story on how China is now NASDAQ's largest source of growth in new listings (h/t to Governance News Watch Blog). Mainland China companies now account for 29 of about 3,300 companies listed on Nasdaq, said the president of Nasdaq International, Charlotte Crosswell. "The exchange also lists around 50 firms from Hong Kong, a Chinese special autonomous region, putting China third behind first-place Israel and second-place Canada in having the most non-U.S. listings on the Nasdaq, Ms. Crosswell said:"

Intel Lessons On China Business

The Wall Street Journal just interviewed Ian Yang, Intel Corporation's Beijing-based co-general manager for Asia Pacific, on doing business in general and, a bit on doing business in China. Entitled, "An Intel Leader Discusses His Lessons in the China Game: Region Co-Manager Yang
Works to Meld U.S. Ideas To a Very Different Culture," the article [subscription may be required] is part of the Journal's "Leading In Asia" series.

Communist China To Be 3/4 Private By Decade's End

After creating half the country's wealth in 2005, private enterprises are set for an even bigger role in the years ahead.

The non-State-owned sector is projected to contribute three-quarters of China's GDP in five years, when at least 70 percent of the country's firms will be privately owned. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences predicted in its annual report - the "Blue Book of the Non-State-Owned Economy" that these firms will play a big role in the local economy. Private enterprises have proliferated, especially in recent years, when the government set out constitutional guarantees and policy incentives to help the development of the sector, and protect the property of entrepreneurs.

The Quality Of Life In China's Cities

covers:

1. Shenzhen

2. Qingdao

3. Hangzhou

4. Ningbo

5. Shanghai

6. Wuxi

7. Yantai

8. Suzhou

9. Dongguan

10. Dalian

The survey consisted of 287 cities and combined an objective ranking with a subjective online poll. "The ranking was judged using a series of criteria, such as residential incomes, consumption levels and the traffic situation. Education, social security, medical facilities, public security, the environment, culture and leisure, and the unemployment rate were also included."

China And The BRIC Dream

BRIC is an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, and China and the tour, led by Jim O'Neill, Goldman Sach's Head of Global Economic Research, notes it was Mr. O'Neill who created this acronym back in 2001.

The thesis of this fascinating tour is that over the next 50 years, Brazil, Russia, India and China--the BRIC economies are likely to become a much larger force in the world economy. The tour maps out GDP growth, income per capita and currency movements in the BRICs economies until 2050:

China Telecom Calling for Foreign Investors

While China rallies the troops to protect the family silver (as in the Xugong / Carlyle and other cases ), a report in Forbes (referring to The Standard) indicates that China Telecom may be close to selling a stake to “strategic foreign investors”.

“NTT DoCoMo, Verizon and France Telecom have emerged as potential suitors, while Deutsche Telekom and Singapore Telecom have also expressed interest, but all are unlikely to make a move until the third-generation (3G) licensing issue has been resolved, the newspaper said…The company is considering issuing new shares, or its parent China Telecom Group may sell non-tradable shares to a strategic partner, the source added.”

Maybe China Telecom has been impressed by the money (and technology and expertise) taken in by China’s big banks, and would like some of the same. However, others on the China side may oppose still more sales of “strategic” assets to “malicious” foreign investors.

Bankrupt Policy - China

It seems to be a case of “two steps forward, one step back” in relation to the proposed bankruptcy law. China Law Blog notes:

“Now it has become clear that China’s 2000+ SOEs will not come within the purview of the new laws until at least the end of 2008. This means that until such time as the SOEs are covered by the new bankruptcy laws, their employee wages and health benefits will have priority over any creditor claims…This is bad news and it indicates China’s reformers have lost out on these laws.”

Corruption Drive Picks Up Shanghai Party Boss - China

The current anti-corruption drive, which has already taken some surprisingly powerful heads, has taken another high-profile victim in the form of Shanghai Party Secretary, Chen Liangyu. According to the International Herald Tribune, he was “detained” on Sunday:

“It is exceedingly rare in China for members of the ruling Politburo to face legal trouble, even when the authorities have evidence of corrupt activities by them or people close to them. [President] Hu almost certainly would not have approved of the action unless he considered Chen an obstacle to his political control or his policy agenda.”

When Consumer Power Turns Nasty - China

In a recent post, I noted that Dell was having a hard time online due to the work of Chinese netizens calling for fair (and respectful) treatment. It was a sign that Chinese consumers, empowered by the web, could make a big noise and have an impact.

Another case that has grabbed headlines recently is that of the “China Bounder”, author of the infamous (now closed) “Sex in Shanghai” blog (see background on the EastSouthWestNorth blog). An online campaign to find the disrespectful foreign writer, and bring him to some sort of (poetic?) justice, fast became a rather worrying manhunt.

Google Could Use Some of Ma’s Alibaba Magic - China

A lot negative things have been written about Google and its problems in China recently, so it was with interest I saw a very up-beat profile of Alibaba’s Jack Ma in the Economist this week.

As anyone who has met Ma will know, he is positively buzzing with energy, and this is part of what drives the company’s culture and performance. The Economist reports that he has “rock-star” status among China’s netizens, but for those who are new to the Alibaba phenomenon, the paper notes that Alibaba is …:

• The world’s largest online B2B marketplace
• Asia’s most popular online auction site
• 12th most popular website in the world

Not bad going for a small outfit from Hangzhou (near Shanghai). Especially when he says that he “knew nothing about technology…didn’t have a plan and…and didn’t have any money”. Alibaba is also one of very few Chinese companies (and even fewer private ones) that is an innovating world-beater. The Economist quotes Bob Peck of Bear Stearns:

China: Don’t Count On (Retail) Statistics

Another day, another set of statistical gymnastics. Last time it was foreign investment figures (with or without the financial services sector), before that it was the trade surplus (or capital in-flows disguised as trade), the we had the GDP restatement and miscounting of bad debt by Ernst and Young. Now it is retail sales – with thanks to Access Asia’s endless research (“China’s Retail Sales…What Exactly Are They?”), which is reproduced from their latest newsletter, below:

China : A and B Share Markets May Merge

Following the recent reforms of the stock market in China, one of the big questions is…will they or wont they merge the A and B share markets? It is not the first time this has been suggested, and the punters have got it wrong before, but new rumours have resulted in recent gains for the US dollar-traded B shares. Bloomberg reports:

“’There are rumors going around the market that the securities regulator is studying a merger between A and B shares’, said Zhang Qi, a market analyst with Haitong Securities in Shanghai. ‘If a merger takes place, holders of B shares will benefit’.”

Mad Money ... Mad Market?

The efficient market hypothesis (EMH) has been a highly controversial topic among financial academics for decades, and CNBC's Jim Cramer is adding fuel to the fire. Volumes of journal articles, studies and other types of scholarly works have been churned out by supporters and critics of this hypothesis and the topic continues to be debated. Read on to find out how Cramer's in-your-face stock recommendations on CNBC's "Mad Money" provide evidence that the market behaves inefficiently.

Why Business Can't Get Rid of Liars and Cheats: Matthew Lynn

Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- So you think the average corporate chief is a lying cheat. Well you haven't seen anything yet.

If you view the current crop of Wall Street heavy hitters as a pack of shysters, wait until the next generation replaces them.

According to a survey released this month, students are increasingly cheating during their courses. And which class is most likely to be trying to fiddle the system? You guessed it: the business-studies mob.

Indonesia's Retailers, Asia Laggards, May Rise on Ramadan Sales

Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Shares of Indonesian retailers, among the worst performers in the Jakarta Composite Index this year, may rebound on a 22 percent drop in oil since July 14 and a decline in inflation.

Indonesia's Retailers, Asia Laggards, May Rise on Ramadan Sales

Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Shares of Indonesian retailers, among the worst performers in the Jakarta Composite Index this year, may rebound on a 22 percent drop in oil since July 14 and a decline in inflation.

Microsoft Pushes to Boost Internet Ads, Gain on Google, Yahoo

Sept. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp., trailing in the Internet advertising market, is stepping up efforts to take market share from Google Inc. and Yahoo! Inc.

The Microsoft division that sells advertising for company Web sites will begin offering ads on products from video games to online business services as well, said Vice President Joanne Bradford. Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, hopes to quadruple ad sales in the next three years, said Bradford, who will unveil the strategy this week at the annual Advertising Week show in New York.

Microsoft Pushes to Boost Internet Ads, Gain on Google, Yahoo

Sept. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp., trailing in the Internet advertising market, is stepping up efforts to take market share from Google Inc. and Yahoo! Inc.

The Microsoft division that sells advertising for company Web sites will begin offering ads on products from video games to online business services as well, said Vice President Joanne Bradford. Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, hopes to quadruple ad sales in the next three years, said Bradford, who will unveil the strategy this week at the annual Advertising Week show in New York.

Microsoft Pushes to Boost Internet Ads, Gain on Google, Yahoo

Sept. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp., trailing in the Internet advertising market, is stepping up efforts to take market share from Google Inc. and Yahoo! Inc.

The Microsoft division that sells advertising for company Web sites will begin offering ads on products from video games to online business services as well, said Vice President Joanne Bradford. Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, hopes to quadruple ad sales in the next three years, said Bradford, who will unveil the strategy this week at the annual Advertising Week show in New York.

Microsoft Pushes to Boost Internet Ads, Gain on Google, Yahoo

Sept. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp., trailing in the Internet advertising market, is stepping up efforts to take market share from Google Inc. and Yahoo! Inc.

The Microsoft division that sells advertising for company Web sites will begin offering ads on products from video games to online business services as well, said Vice President Joanne Bradford. Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, hopes to quadruple ad sales in the next three years, said Bradford, who will unveil the strategy this week at the annual Advertising Week show in New York.

Microsoft Pushes to Boost Internet Ads, Gain on Google, Yahoo

Sept. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp., trailing in the Internet advertising market, is stepping up efforts to take market share from Google Inc. and Yahoo! Inc.

The Microsoft division that sells advertising for company Web sites will begin offering ads on products from video games to online business services as well, said Vice President Joanne Bradford. Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, hopes to quadruple ad sales in the next three years, said Bradford, who will unveil the strategy this week at the annual Advertising Week show in New York.

Volcker Sees Risks of U.S. Inflation Creep, Pressure on Fed

Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Paul Volcker, who halted a wage and price spiral as Federal Reserve chairman between 1979 and 1987, said he's worried both about inflation and pressure on the U.S. central bank to not do anything about it.

``I am a little bit more worried about inflation,'' said Volcker, 79, speaking at a discussion sponsored by the Women's Economic Round Table in New York yesterday. Gerald Corrigan, who served as New York Fed president from 1985 to 1993, said he shared Volcker's concerns.

FBI Promises Crackdown on Stock-Option Fraud as Cases Increase

Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- The FBI is conducting probes of 52 companies that may have illegally backdated stock options and more cases are on the way, its new criminal investigative chief said.

The number of criminal cases has increased 16 percent in less than two months, said Chip Burrus, an assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. ``We're going to knock that pretty good,'' he said in an interview. ``We're going to go after those.''

European Stocks Rise on U.S. Economy; Nokia, Rio Tinto Advance

Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- European stocks rose for the first time in three days on speculation the U.S. economy, the world's biggest, will avoid a slump.

Nokia Oyj and Rio Tinto Group led a rally by technology companies and commodity producers, which can be affected by fluctuations in global economic growth.

Baidu's Click Trickery Lands it in Court

Online click fraud isn't a scourge only in the U.S. (see BusinessWeek.com, 10/2/06, "Click Fraud"), it's also giving headaches to online advertisers in China.

Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Limited Announces Interim Results

Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Limited (the "Company") (NYSE: CBA; SEHK: 1114) announced today the interim results for the six months ended June 30, 2006 prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America.

Procter & Gamble halts SK-II skincare sales in China

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - U.S. consumer products giant Procter & Gamble Co. has suspended sales of its SK-II skincare line in mainland China, pending clarification from the quality watchdog over traces of possibly harmful metals

Mine takeover targets for gold

Many oil, gas and metals stocks have gotten crunched recently, but they're still good choices for the long term. Here's one key to finding potential outperformers in these battered sectors.

In the stock market, you can be right on the long-term fundamentals but still get your head beaten in over the short term. Eventually, of course, those fundamentals will show themselves in the price of a stock. But until "eventually" arrives, your portfolio can take a painful pounding. Many investors who get the fundamentals right can't take the waiting and the pain. They sell long before a rising stock price vindicates their foresight.

China IPO- New Oriental: Training China's Eager Middle Class

Many multi-national firms operating in China from L’Oreal to GM have complained about the lack of qualified talent at the junior and mid-level managerial levels which leave them unable to scale their operations. Although there are many Chinese youth looking for jobs, too many of them have not been equipped by China’s university system with the tool kits needed to thrive in a fiercely competitive corporate world.

McDonald's China Shows the Sexy Side of Beef

Yahoo Keeps Its Eyes on Facebook

Is Facebook really worth $1 billion? Analysts easily agree the answer is yes. Whether it's worth that much to Yahoo!, however, is a more complicated question. The Web portal initially offered Facebook $1.4 billion, according to people familiar with the deal. Talks broke down in July, about the time Yahoo shares lost 20% of their value on news that its new targeted advertising technology would be delayed. Sources close to Facebook say there has been no new deal, but discussions could easily resume. Speculation that a transaction may be in the offing surfaced on Sept. 21, after The Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook and Yahoo are in "serious" talks on a deal.

Linux Spreads its Wings in India

With 4,000 students and just 21 computers, the Cotton Hill Girls High School in the south Indian city of Trivandrum wouldn't appear to be at the vanguard of anything related to information technology. Yet the 71-year-old school is abandoning Microsoft (MSFT) Windows software in favor of its free, open-source rival, Linux. So when students -- typically eight to a machine, seated at two benches -- turn on their PCs they see Linux desktop software that helps them navigate their way to all manner of math, graphics, and writing programs. ``We're using something called Linux,'' says 12-year-old Arya VM as she plays with Tux Paint, a Linux drawing and painting application. And Windows? ``Never heard of it,'' she says.

Why Malone Desires DirecTV

What does John Malone see in satellite television that Rupert Murdoch missed? That's the $10 billion question that has media experts puzzled, now that the onetime cable supremo is negotiating to secure a 38% controlling stake in DirecTV Group (DTV) from Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

Godiva Strikes Gold

The gourmet-chocolate seller has redesigned its classic gold box and introduced new flavors in an effort to stay on top of candyland trends

Long View on Energy

Don't bet against the long-term energy cycle.


The recent swoon and volatility in both energy commodities and equities have unnerved many. However, instead of worrying, your time is better spent developing a plan to play defense before the next opportunity arises to play offense in the energy space.

Fundamentals suggest there's still plenty of game left in the sector.

Fed is finished tightening, where will the market go forward?

If it’s true that the Fed is finished tightening, what does that implyfor the equity market going forward? While our view has been that it would be a positive, the historical record on the subject is not especially encouraging.

On Pricing

Golden Brown: The New Hue of China Wealth

Though most Chinese female consumers still prefer conventional Chinese concepts of beauty, the growing popularity of tanning parlors confirms the globalization of fashion and the growing wealth and diversification of the Chinese consumer.

Don’t Count On (Retail) Statistics

Another day, another set of statistical gymnastics. Last time it was foreign investment figures (with or without the financial services sector), before that it was the trade surplus (or capital in-flows disguised as trade), the we had the GDP restatement and miscounting of bad debt by Ernst and Young. Now it is retail sales – with thanks to Access Asia’s endless research (“China’s Retail Sales…What Exactly Are They?”), which is reproduced from their latest newsletter, below:

Don't Overlook These Broker Deductions

As registered representatives, most of you probably work out of an office where the company pays for the majority of your sales tools. But some of you have to pay for things out of your own pocket - like your phone or computer - and as such, you are entitled to deduct those expenses on your tax return at the end of the fiscal year. In fact, there are a host of deductions that brokers should be aware of, so read on and we'll show you how to make the most of your tax return.

Ford, Ghosn May Talk as GM-Renault Fades, People Say (Update3)

Sept. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Carlos Ghosn's Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. may start talks with Ford Motor Co. as prospects fade for a link with General Motors Corp., two people with knowledge of the discussions said.

Paulson heads home after VIP treatment in China

BEIJING : US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is heading home from China proud to have won unprecedented access to the communist elite as the two nations tried to overhaul their fraught trading ties.

Three quarters of China's economy to be non-state by decade's end

BEIJING : Three quarters of Communist China's economy will be non-state-owned by the end of this decade, state media cited the nation's top think tank as saying.

India court quashes ban on Coke, Pepsi in southern state

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India : A court in southern India has lifted a ban on the manufacture and sale of soft drinks by US giants Coca-Cola and Pepsi, amid claims that their beverages contained pesticides.

Baidu Faces Another Paid Ranking Lawsuit

Beijing based travel agency Maple of Tours has sued Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) over the way it operates its paid ranking service, reports ChinaByte.

Nasdaq-listed Baidu China search engine market share 62.1 pct - Xinhua

BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - Nasdaq-listed Baidu's search engine market share was 62.1 pct, an increase of over 10 pct from a year earlier, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Beijing ponders construction workers' future post-Olympics

BEIJING : Beijing's authorities are scratching their heads about how to deal with a million construction workers whose services will no longer be required from the end of next year.

October 10 China Arbitration Law Teleconference

On October 10, 2006, the American Bar Association will be putting on a teleconference called "China: The New Frontier in Arbitration." The conference will be on "available dispute resolutions for companies that do business in China" and will examine arbitration issues that arise both before entering into an agreement and after a dispute has arisen.

The Rise and Rise of the RMB

The RMB hit the magic 8 in May, and just keeps going up…and is now reported by People’s Daily (PD) to have reached 7.9342 to the dollar – a new record. Everyone has something to say about the RMB these days.

Devaluations, output and the balance sheet effect: a structural econometric analysis

This paper estimates a new open economy macroeconomic model for South Korea to determine the output effect of currency devaluations. Three transmission mechanisms are considered: the expenditure-switching, the balance sheet, and a monetary channel associated to a nominal exchange rate target. Devaluations are defined as an increase in this target. This allows to isolate the effects of an explicit exogenous devaluationary policy shock. Ceteris paribus, a devaluation is found to be expansionary. Output contractions in South Korea should then be associated with a different shock such as an adverse shock on the international interest rate or on export demand.

Finding The Trend With Aroon

In 1995 Tushar Chande, a principal of Tuscarora Capital Management and author of "The New Technical Trader" (1994) and "Beyond Technical Analysis" (2001), developed the Aroon indicator to determine trend direction and strength. The indicator's greatest value is in helping traders and investors to distinguish whether a long-term trend is ending or simply stalling before another move. This article will show you how to calculate and apply the Aroon indicator to your own trading.

Can you beat the professionals? - Investment

Can small investors beat the professionals? YES! According to Joel Greenblatt. In his book “You can be a stock market genius” he listed the disadvantages that investment professionals have:

Buffett: No better business than Iscar

American billionaire Warren Buffett said Monday during a visit to the Iscar plant that one won’t find any other business in Israel as good as Iscar, and that one will have a difficult time finding one such business in the rest of the world.

Buffett told Ynet that the information he received about the factory wasn’t news to him, and yet he still found himself surprised and impressed.

Buffett eyes utilities and overseas acquisitions

Warren Buffett's investment company Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is interested in buying further utility firms in the coming years and seeks to expand abroad, the U.S. billionaire said on Monday.

In May, Buffett's company bought 80 percent of Israeli metal tools maker Iscar Metalworking Cos. for $4 billion. It was Berkshire's first acquisition of a non-U.S.-based firm.

CGM fund bets on high demand for oil, metals

Kenneth Heebner, the best-performing money manager among his peers in the past three years, said the world's growing need for crude oil led him to put more than half of his CGM Focus Fund into energy stocks.

Robert Olstein: BETTER VALUES OR VALUE TRAPS; THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT

How do we determine when a stock is falling whether we believe it is temporarily out of favor or has turned into a value trap? There are two main risks that we assess when valuing a company. Financial risk relates to how a company is capitalized (debt ratios, excess cash, etc.), the realism of its reporting practices, and most importantly its ability to withstand bad times without having to resort to short-term solutions that are not in the long-term interests of the company. Operating risk relates to the accuracy of future estimates of a company’s ability to produce free cash flow from its basic business. Thus, the accuracy of our valuations is based on our ability to accurately predict future excess cash flow.

George Soros on China, India and Bush

In the first segment of an exclusive, extensive interview with Rediff India Abroad, billionaire financier George Soros spoke of 9/11, and of the folly of American foreign policy. He spoke, too, of plans to traveling to India, in the hope of working with those who wanted to improve relations between Pakistan and India.

All About Warrants - Investing

Put simply, a warrant is much like an option, in that it offers the holder the right, yet not the obligation, to purchase a set quantity of the underlying security at a certain price and time in the future.

Apple's New nanos - reducing cost

The computer giant has skimmed fat from the cost of producing its iPods, as researcher iSuppli discovered in its latest peek inside

marrying cellular with product scanning and tracking - Motorola Barcode

Motorola Chief Executive Ed Zander took a significant step toward making the cell-phone giant into the versatile communications giant he has always desired. Zander announced Tuesday an agreement to buy Symbol Technologies (SBL), a maker of bar code and inventory scanning technology, for about $3.9 billion. The acquisition enables Motorola (MOT) to boost sales of wireless handheld devices to corporate customers such as FedEx (FDX), big-box retailers, airlines, and hospitals. What's more, as companies expand their use of radio-frequency tracking chips, Motorola stands to benefit by merging that technology with one it already knows intimately: cellular phone networks.

Oracle Acquisition strategy

With strong first-quarter results, the software maker is upbeat about its bold acquisitions strategy paying off

More stories

A Laptop at Every Desk - Apples and Dell

As more school districts seek to equip each student with a computer, Apple, Dell, and other makers vie for the lucrative contracts

Reworking Your eBay Stores Strategy

Ever since the announcement of the increase in eBay Stores fees, many sellers have jumped on a nonstop, “Let’s bag on eBay” tirade. A group of sellers has even planned an eBay boycott. Boycotts are not new to eBay--a Google search of "eBay boycott" proffers more than a million results--but chances are, they won’t have any affect. It’s easy to get angry at eBay, but it’s doubtful that the anger will net you anything more than a stomachache.

A Beginner's Guide to Investing

If you're new to investing, it can look pretty complicated. But it doesn't need to be.

Why YouTube is ready for prime time

YouTube has lost $20 million since its birth a year ago, but so what? The world's fastest-growing media company could go public soon and could be worth $600 million to $1 billion.

Liz Sets Sights on China with Juicy Label

Liz Claiborne is set to introduce its Juicy Couture label to China and other Asian countries over the next four years. The emphasis will be on mainland China with a planned grand total of 24 retail stores and 23 shops within other stores in Asia.

The Gloomy Side of the Street

What September sell-off? On Sept. 15, the Dow Jones industrial average rallied to within 170 points of its all-time high, while a fresh batch of data suggested a firm economy with modest inflation. So far, the stock market's historically worst month isn't exactly matching its bearish reputation.

Murdoch to Bid Satellite Goodbye

With the Web playing a greater role in its strategy, News Corp. is in talks to sell its DirecTV satellite stake to Liberty Media

Asia's Champions

Think Big Oil, and the likes of Exxon Mobil (XOM), Chevron (CVX), and BP (BP) usually spring to mind. Yet Asian companies such as PetroChina (PTR), India's Oil & Natural Gas, and PTT of Thailand may well break into the global energy aristocracy in the future.

Sour Musical Notes on YouTube, MySpace

A spat between Universal Music Group and Web sites that feature music videos is getting uglier. Universal is up in arms over what it says is the illegal appearance of its artists' videos on various sites. The music publisher has made its dismay known in discussions with online video giant YouTube.com and social network MySpace, a property of News Corp. (NWS). But while MySpace may be willing to play along, talks with YouTube have stalled, according to a person familiar with the matter. Universal is weighing a copyright infringement lawsuit against YouTube before the end of September, the person tells BusinessWeek.com.

Where Did Atari Go So Wrong? - Learning from Failures.

The picture from Atari and parent company Infogrames has been unremittingly dismal in recent years: it hasn't turned a profit since 1999. Can they win the most crucial game of all...staying afloat?

Do the Due: Be Wary of Internet Scams

When an unfamiliar company offers to fund a business idea, if it sounds too good to be true, it may be. Here's how to do the due diligence

How to Open a Salon or Day Spa

Since the dawn of the new millennium, the stock market has been in a freefall and the economy has been in the doldrums. But it was a good time to start a hair salon and day spa--and it still is today.

Learning to Manage Your Energy

We all have different levels of energy at different times of the day. Most people would say they definitely are or are not a morning person--there's not usually much gray area in the morning department. As for night owls, the more time they have after the sun goes down to get things done, the better.

Memo to SEC: Don't Let Independent Chair Rule Die

Although regulators proposed a host of new fund-related rules in the wake of the mutual fund trading scandal that surfaced in 2003, by far the most contentious was one that would require fund boards to have an independent chairman as well as a three fourths majority of independent directors. (The standard is currently two thirds.) The Securities and Exchange Commission actually signed off on the rule in the waning days of former Chairman William Donaldson's tenure, but a 2005 appeals court decision forced the SEC to reconsider it, noting that the commission hadn't adequately considered the costs and benefits of the rule before pushing it through.

Beware markets with no reason to rally

The current market rally is really a head-fake, driven by hope, not fundamentals. A lot of bad news is coming that will drive the markets lower.

Ford, GM have discussed merger, alliance: report update 060920

As of now, the two companies, both struggling with shrinking market shares while restructuring operations, are not holding talks, and one source said there is a slim chance that anything will come of the situation, Automotive News said.


More news

Ford says to buy Rover brand name from BMW

Targeting China’s Consumers: Focus Media and the Advertising Game

Many Wall Street analysts have touted Focus Media (FMCN) as a great buy for investors. Targeting China’s burgeoning middle class has been a notoriously difficult venture for marketers as TV, radio, and print campaigns on state-run shows and papers have been the main channels for advertising. Because of regulatory issues, China does not have long-running dramas and comedy shows like NBC’s Friends or Cheers

UBS To Benefit from Chinese Banking Restrictions

I was impressed that UBS had a good strategy for partnering with a domestic firm in China, and that they had been able to jump through all the regulatory hoops to actually make the purchase.

Creative out with movie MP3 player to challenge Zune, iPod

SAN FRANCISCO : While Microsoft's Zune MP3 player remained a mere promise Monday, Creative Technology delivered to market a competing device crafted with movie viewing in mind.

China 'audit storm' uncovers US$15.6b in misappropriated funds

BEIJING : China's state auditors have uncovered 124.9 billion yuan (US$15.6b) in misappropriated state funds during the first eight months of the year, state press has reported.

China's CNOOC inks major deal with Malaysia's Petronas

SHANGHAI : China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) said it has wrapped up a deal with Malaysia's Petronas that could set a pricing benchmark for natural gas in Asia, the Financial Times reported Monday.

China won't be hasty in currency reform: central bank chief

SINGAPORE : China will not rush to liberalise its exchange rate regime and it is not certain that any relaxation will lead to an appreciation of the yuan anyway, the country's central bank chief has said.

Negotiating Starts at the Front Door

Negotiating can be tough, especially when it is done in different languages, in a strange (often very cold or very hot) place, with a room full of (mainly irrelevant) people, on a tight (often self-imposed) schedule.

Side-By-Side Management May Favor Hedge Over Mutual Funds

The hedge fund industry has seen substantial growth over time as high-net worth individuals have flocked to this investment class. Its attractive structure and compensation have also attracted some of the best money managers in the world, often at the expense of the mutual fund market. To help minimize the impact of this shift, institutional investment advisory firms have argued that for mutual funds to maintain talent they should be managed by people also running hedge funds. In this article, we'll show you how to decide if it is beneficial for you to have one firm handle both your hedge and mutual funds together. (For related reading, check out A Brief History Of The Hedge Fund and A Brief History Of The Mutual Fund.)

Seth Glickenhaus telling it like it is

Glickenhaus: The stock market is in a world of its own. It is not a stock market; it is a market of stocks.

That could be said at any point and time.

That is perfectly true, but it is truer today than ever before. It is very difficult to tell what the overall stock market will do. If I have to make a prediction, neither the bulls nor bears are going to be happy.

Bernanke Pushes Inflation Target and Economy May Suffer for It

Sept. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke is stepping up his push for an inflation target at a time when hitting it might damage the U.S. economy.

Terror Attacks Leave U.S. Economy More Vulnerable to New Shocks

Sept. 11 (Bloomberg) -- The terrorist strikes of Sept. 11, 2001, changed the U.S. economy in ways that no one expected five years ago.

Booyah Breakdown: Debt Uncovered

Sometimes it's actually easier to understand the idiosyncrasies of your 4-year-old then it is to understand the logic surrounding financial-statement analysis.

This article is rather enlightening with regards to the treatment of debt!

China claims homegrown chip matches Intel's Pentium 4

Chinese scientists say they have developed a computer chip that equals the processing power of Intel Corp.'s Pentium 4 semiconductors and costs less, as part of their nation's efforts to reduce reliance on foreign technologies.

China Reports Major Anti-Piracy Move

BEIJING — Chinese law enforcement agencies destroyed nearly 13 million pirated compact discs, DVDs and computer software Saturday in the government's latest campaign to curtail rampant theft of intellectual property, state media reported.

Top Web Apps in China

IMF announces sweeping reforms

International Monetary Fund policymakers on Sunday backed the most sweeping overhaul of the institution for six decades to give fast-growing China, South Korea, Mexico and Turkey more influence.

In Challenging iPod, Microsoft Hustles, Samsung Stutters

Microsoft has unveiled a package of portable music players and an online music download service named Zune, taking the front seat in the upcoming clash against Apple’s iPod this winter.

Malaysia's Genting boosts moves to venture overseas

KUALA LUMPUR : Malaysia's sole casino operator, the Genting Group, is bolstering its efforts to expand overseas amidst an ever-more competitive casino market in Asia by staking a claim in Britain.

Japan gets off lightly at G7 talks

SINGAPORE : Japan got off lightly at a weekend meeting of Group of Seven finance chiefs, where European ministers had hoped for a strong statement evoking the dangers of a weakening Japanese yen.

IMF set to give tiger economies more roar

SINGAPORE : The IMF was set to back a sweeping overhaul giving dynamic economies a louder voice at the institution, born in the ashes of World War II, and to forge a new role as economic mediator.

Japan banks to refrain from deals with Iran bank: reports

TOKYO - Three Japanese major banks will refrain from doing business with Iran's state-run bank in line with US financial sanctions.

China's oil imports up 15.3 percent in first eight months

BEIJING - China imported 95.8 million tons of crude oil in the first eight months of the year, up 15.3 percent from the same period last year as its booming economy boosted demand, state press said Sunday.

U.S. Inflation Measure May Be Rotten at the Core: Caroline Baum

Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. policy makers have long defended the practice of using a core inflation measure as a check on how they're doing. The public, of course, sees this as just another gimmick the government uses to pull the wool over its eyes.

Coming Week: Cheery Prospects

For what is traditionally a rocky month for investors, September has so far proved a pleasure. A string of favorable economic data, culminating in Friday's consumer price index report, has lifted the major averages to near record heights.

How Do You Save a Car Company? - Ford

If you want to know how hard it is to turn around a troubled car company, just look at Ford. The company said Sept. 15 that it will accelerate its plans to cut 14,000 white-collar workforce, slash 30,000 hourly jobs, and close 16 factories. And still, it also stated that it doesn't expect to see a profit in its all-important but money-losing North American business until 2009.

Verizon Caught in HP Pretexting Web

The privacy of Verizon customers' phone records was compromised, putting a top company exec—and Hewlett-Packard board member—in a tough spot

China Expresses Regret at WTO Complaint

BEIJING (AP) - China on Sunday expressed regret at a joint U.S.-European trade complaint over its auto parts tariffs, defending its policy as a way to protect customers and prevent tax evasion.

Stocks may hit new highs if Fed stays put

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks could rally back up to their highs of the year next week if the Federal Reserve shows Wall Street that its decision to keep interest rates on hold last month wasn't just a one-off.

China criticizes WTO auto parts case

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has expressed regret over a request by the European Union, the United States and Canada for a World Trade Organization (WTO) panel to hear their complaint about China's tariff treatment of foreign auto parts.

The Web's Democratizing Effect: Chinese Bloggers Stick It to Dell, Colgate

“Dell is the worst computer I have ever seen.” This is the outcry that Dell (DELL) executives faced from the Chinese blogosphere recently after customers found they had received laptops with the wrong processors. Not good news for Dell after all the bad press they have faced online in America for poor customer service and exploding batteries that bloggers in the U.S. have coined “Dell Hell.”

China Law for Business

China Law Blog focuses on business law in China. It is written by Dan Harris, an international lawyer based in the United States and Steve Dickinson, an international lawyer based in China. Dan and Steve are both members of Harris & Moure, pllc, a boutique International Law Firm.

China Bubble Redux

I recently posted on what could go wrong in China from a macroeconomic perspective, linking over to DiligenceChina blog. We got some good feedback from readers here, especially the wise comment by Mr. Li, but I want to highlight a new post worth reading on the topic.

The Great Bubble of China?

The Chinese economy has 1.2 billion unsuspecting people on board. It could all blow if economic growth drops below its current pace of more than 8 percent. Even a small, otherwise harmless speed bump is likely to send this gigantic economy into a severe recession. Here are the reasons why:

Cisco VoIP Ditched for Open-Source Asterisk

"Sam Houston State University (SHSU) is moving 6,000 users off a Cisco VoIP platform to an open-source VoIP network based on Asterisk. One big driver, of course, is cost. From the article: 'We thought that it will be more cost effective in the long run to go with an open source solution, because of the massive amounts of licensing fees required to keep the Cisco CallManager network up and running,' says Aaron Daniel, senior voice analyst at SHSU."

iPod fans 'shunning iTunes store'

The Jupiter Research report reveals that, on average, only 20 of the tracks on a iPod will be from the iTunes shop.

Far more important to iPod owners, said the study, was free music ripped from CDs someone already owned or acquired from file-sharing sites.

Baidu - A Synopsis

Well, I have been watching Baidu since August when it was 68 USD, now it is current almost 88 USD.

You can understand why I am excited. No wait I did not buy any shares lol.

In any case I think I will keep an eye on Baidu and Chinese companies in general (note that so far these are not Chinese companies, these are really companies in China, but list in US - the chinese companies will be listed in the Hang Seng Index).

I will permalink thispost, so do keep up to date or contribute if you can =)



++++++++++++++++ Start +++++++++++++++++++++


I will keep this in a log form as it is the easiest to maintain in a single post.

log060923

My thoughts at the moment?

For the past 1 to 2 weeks, Baidu is in the high eighties. breaking the 90 USD mark.

Beware though. at the moment I feel that it is alittle overvalued and the price is mainly held by the surge in buying recently.

The result of envy buying =P

So prices are probably going to stay about there.

This is now speculators territory, strictly intra day and probably only if you hold alot of stock (don't forget the transactional costs and currency conversions if you are overseas.)

Value wise, I will wait for it to get cheaper. Those of you who bought in the 60 to 70's range, you have made your buck =) enjoy!

You want to know what will happen to Baidu? See Google. They are following Google's strategy and ironically, they are facing the same issues. see this.

But there is a difference, and that is the way Chinese law is run. Also, remember that plaintiffs are chinese companies while Baidu is really foreign owned. All these will play a part if you want to predict how the dust will settle.

I feel that to grade Baidu carefully, you really need to watch management, whether is it really just following Google or does it have a sound strategy (following Google might be a sound strategy =)).

But with all value investments, management is the core of your strategy. Google and Baidu are ultimately different though similar. And that is what you have to keep in mind when you evaluate them.

Cheers for your investment!


+++++++++++++++++update 061030


Blog ged a little

Essentially just a blip on Baidu's developement.

The move now would be to check out the history of the current and future? leaders, that would be a good gauge of whether Baidu will continue to do well.

Things like marketing savvyness, finance stability , character etc.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



Wow I dun do research for a week plus and Baidu rises to 93.88 USD




++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 061115 start+++++++++++++++++++++++++

apparently Baidu is currently 102 USD, given this fact Baidu has effectively broken the psychological 100 dollar mark.

Is it likely to languish there?


Also Baidu and Ebay are working together that was the news on the 8th of Nov

or this

Oh and Ebay's auction site in China is Eachnet? gotta check that out =)

i was really upset when Ebay bought Baazee. ah well.

Apparently an Axis is forming as well.


The alliance is a challenge to Chinese auction leader Alibaba.com, a joint venture partner with Yahoo Inc. (up $0.32 to $26.93, Charts), and another online auction player, Tencent Holdings Ltd. (up $0.00 to $2.63, Charts), which has a pact with Google Inc (up $5.43 to $478.00, Charts).


This should be interesting.




Also one can now download antivirus from the site and here, dun think the impact will be great though . Much will depend on what they actually mean by a plarform of is this more gesturing.
















+++++++++++++++++++++timeline to the future +++++++++++++++++++++++

061206
was sued by Hebei Jixin Packaging Steel Strip Company over Baidu's paid ranking service, with court proceedings to begin on December 6

What's Really Propping Up The Economy - US

If you really want to understand what makes the U.S. economy tick these days, don't go to Silicon Valley, Wall Street, or Washington. Just take a short trip to your local hospital. Park where you don't block the ambulances, and watch the unending flow of doctors, nurses, technicians, and support personnel. You'll have a front-row seat at the health-care economy.

Mattel Needs A Knock-Me-Out Elmo

It's the best-kept secret in toyland. On Sept. 19, Mattel Inc. (MAT ) will debut the latest version of its popular Elmo toy. In the past, the furry red Sesame Street character has giggled when tickled, danced the hokey pokey, and performed the limbo in a Hawaiian shirt. This year, however, Mattel is refusing to reveal Elmo's latest trick. To build buzz for the toy's 10-year anniversary, retailers won't receive boxes of the new $40 Elmos until the night before they go on sale. Some stores have even installed countdown calendars, tearing off the days until T.M.X. Elmo is unveiled on Good Morning America. "Innovation and marketing, it's exactly what the industry needs," says Gerald L. Storch, Chairman and CEO of Toys 'R' Us Inc. (TOY ).

Rising Risks for Europe's Power Utilities

Generators and vertically integrated utilities in Europe's liberalized markets are enjoying high profits resulting from continuing strong power prices, which reflect high oil and gas prices and the introduction of the carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions trading scheme (EU ETS). In fully liberalized European power markets, where electricity pricing is based on marginal generation costs and where gas-fired generation technology is the price-setting generation technology (as in Britain), the high gas prices can largely be passed along as higher retail power prices.

Vital Signs: The Fed on Hold

The Federal Reserve is still in a holding pattern, housing continues to sink, and the U.S. is running further in the red with its international creditors. By and large, this week's light list of economic data and events should confirm some current economic trends on growth and inflation.

GE's $3.8 Billion Silicone Sale

GE (GE) said Sept. 14 that it agreed to sell its business unit GE Advanced Materials (Silicones & Quartz) to the private investment firm Apollo Management for $3.8 billion in cash and securities.

Magnet of Needs Pulls China to Africa

Africa looms large on the radar screens of China's high and mighty. Chinese President Hu Jintao was there in April. Premier Wen Jiabao did a seven-country swing in June, and Vice-President Zeng Qinghong and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing have made trips this year as well. Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, and Tanzania are frequent stops for all manner of Chinese pols and ministry officials. In early November, close to 50 African heads of state will descend on Beijing for a first-ever China-Africa summit.

Microsoft Brings the Works Online

You might think the folks at Microsoft (MSFT) have bigger fish to fry than a tiny Bay Area startup named ThinkFree. The company, which offers Web-based word-processing and spreadsheet programs, counts about 60,000 active users, none of whom even pay for the service yet. But there on page six of Microsoft's annual 10-K filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, submitted in August, Microsoft lists ThinkFree as a rival to its $11.8 billion Office business, used by more than 400 million people around the globe. "It's official now," laughs ThinkFree CEO TJ Kang. "We're definitely on their radar."

China Looms Large at Group of Seven

At the meetings of the IMF and Group of Seven industrialized nations beginning in Singapore Sept. 15-17, discussion will inevitably turn to the perceived undervaluation of the Chinese yuan. And when it does, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson will have a chance to make his voice heard on the topic ahead of his scheduled visit to Beijing later in the month.

Paulson's China Challenge

Henry M. Paulson is making his first trip to Beijing as U.S. Treasury Secretary, and he's got a lot on his plate. When Paulson arrives on Sept. 19, he'll be facing China's already gargantuan, yet still growing, trade surplus, its controversial currency, and a recent edict banning the acquisition of local brokerages by foreign firms. His two Bush-era predecessors, John Snow and Paul O'Neill, had little luck influencing Beijing. Will a seasoned Wall Street money pro such as Paulson with strong ties to China's top leadership do any better?

Google Aims to Open Library Doors in Asia

The Google Books Library Project may have won the support of prominent libraries in the United States and the United Kingdom, but it is not likely to make a splash in Asia--at least, not yet.

In Asia, MySpace Clones Stalk Cyberspace

How big is the social networking craze on the Net in Asia? Global investors will get a far better sense on Sept. 14 in Tokyo. That's when Japan's fastest-growing social networking site, mixi, will launch a much anticipated initial public offering. While mixi is no MySpace—there are currently 5 million users at mixi—its membership has quintupled in the past year. At 7 billion page views a month, mixi trails only Yahoo! (YHOO) and Google (GOOG) in Japan in online traffic and is the No. 37 site globally, according to Alexa.com.

Hynix: Chipping Away and Making Good

Earlier this decade, Hynix Semiconductor (HXSCF) was a poster child for the kind of invest-and-spend mentality that had landed a number of big Korean conglomerates in a world of trouble. It managed to lose $7.2 billion in 2001 and 2002 and was up to its eyeballs in debt. In the notoriously boom-and-bust memory chip market, few thought Hynix had what it took to survive. And there was a time that would have been true if not for a bailout by state-controlled Korean banks.

BW's 20 Best Chinese Brands

The 2008 Beijing Olympics will doubtless be a gloriously defining moment for China—an international image blast underscoring the mainland's arrival as an economic power. And perhaps more important for Chinese companies selling everything from booze to bank accounts, it is shaping up to be the marketing opportunity of the decade. The prize that they're chasing: the kind of brand recognition enjoyed by past Olympic sponsors such as Coca-Cola (KO), Adidas, and Samsung.

China Carmakers' Global Talent Hunt

It's a startling trophy hire, and further evidence for auto executives at Toyota (TM), Ford Motor (F), Hyundai (HYUD), and elsewhere that their scrappy Chinese competitors are deadly serious about moving up in the global auto industry. On June 18, SAIC Motor announced it had hired former GM executive Philip Murtaugh to run its overseas operations from its Shanghai headquarters.

China's Drive for Local Car Brands

It all started with Beijing Jeep, China's first auto joint venture, back in 1984. And ever since, the world's biggest auto players have spent billions of dollars on manufacturing and marketing in China, trying to gain a foothold in what has become the world's most dynamic car market. Confident that overseas investment was the surest way to modernize an aging industry originally set up by Soviet advisors in the 1950s, China's policymakers welcomed the foreigners.

Successful Cash Flow Management

Cash management is ultimately about cash flow -- and very few small businesses are awash in cash. Even successful, growing companies are vulnerable to cash flow problems because they tend to add employees and inventory rapidly. This may quickly deplete the company coffers and lead to cash shortages.

How Failure Breeds Success

Ever heard of Choglit? How about OK Soda or Surge? Long after "New Coke" became nearly synonymous with innovation failure, these products joined Coca-Cola Co.'s (KO ) graveyard of beverage busts.

In Search of the Optimal Capital Structure

... But before getting to those firms, and how they might create value by recapitalizing, here's a little background on capital structure.

Ask the Right Questions for Financial Success

One of the first steps on the road to getting your financial house in order is asking yourself some key questions about your current financial situation and where you'd like to be in the future. The problem is, many people don't know what questions to ask. We've compiled this checklist of personal finance issues and concerns that you can use as a springboard to ask meaningful questions about how to protect what you've got, make it grow, and pass it along to the next generation.

Ford to cut 45,000 jobs

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co. on Friday said it will slash $5 billion in costs and cut nearly 45,000 jobs, about one-third of its work force, in a sweeping restructuring, and warned that its North American unit won't make a profit for another three years.

How to invest when trends zig and zag

No matter whether you're a technical or fundamental investor, a short-term trader or a long-term buy-and-holder, a top-down Big Picture student or a bottom-up stock-picker, the Wall Street advice is the same: The trend is your friend.

A Disconnect Between Beijing and Provincial Governments

China's provincial governments don't seem to be getting the message from Beijing. As the central government attempts to slow investment, its provinces are hard at work spending and building away.

China's Latest Attempt to Cut Its Trade Surplus

China now plans to use revised export tax rebates to encourage exports in IT, biotech, pharma, and heavy machinery over the low-end products that it is most synonymous with. Economists are skeptical of the impact of the new policy on its trade surplus.

Milk a Substitute for Cola in China?

China's dairy sector is reportedly generating 60 billion yuan (US$7.5 billion) in annual sales and is expected to grow by 20%-25% this year. Dairy firms and their investors are clearly optimistic despite a historically lactose-intolerant nation.

Xinhua's Financial News and Reporting Battle in China

China's Xinhua news organization, with Beijing's backing, is looking to take control of economic and financial news and reporting in China by limiting the capabilities of foreign news vendors such as Reuters, Bloomberg, and Dow Jones.

A Close Look and Executive Interview with Lorenzo Jewelry International

Based out of Hong Kong, L.J.I. is the fastest growing jewelry company in the world. They distribute to U.S.A., Europe, and Japan through their wholesale line (30% gross margin) and operate in China on a retail level (50% gross margin). The China jewelry market has grown at an annual rate of over 10% since the 1980’s and is expected to be the largest market in the world by 2010.

Thai retail row could end up in the courts: experts

BANGKOK - Thailand's demand that foreign retailers halt all plans for expansion could spark legal challenges or disputes with the kingdom's European trade partners, experts say.

Asian economies likely to weather shocks from a slowdown in US economy

SINGAPORE: Asia's prospects are looking good in spite of uncertainties surrounding the US economy.

Hong Kong's PCCW posts in-line profits for first half

HONG KONG : Hong Kong's main phone operator PCCW posted a 17 percent fall in net profit to 796 million Hong Kong dollars (102.1 million US) for the first half, due to lower investment gains.

China takes a different tack from Korea in privatising state-owned enterprises

SINGAPORE: Privatising state-owned enterprises was one hot topic at the inaugural Raffles Forum on Friday.

This was because global markets are increasingly concerned about corporate governance in developing economies, especially in Asia.

The pricing of portfolio credit risk

Equity and credit-default-swap (CDS) markets are in disagreement as to the extent to which asset returns co-move across firms. This suggests market segmentation and casts ambiguity about the asset-return correlations underpinning observed prices of portfolio credit risk. The ambiguity could be eliminated by – currently unavailable – data that reveal the market valuation of low-probability/large-impact events. At present, judicious assumptions about this valuation can be used to reconcile observed prices with asset-return correlations implied by either equity or CDS markets. These conclusions are based on an analysis of tranche spreads of a popular CDS index, which incorporate a rather small premium for correlation risk.

BIS latest issue

The Merger - What To Do When Companies Converge

You may hear about it in the financial news - the merger. It's often a situation cloaked in mystery and confusion. Do you know what to do when a company you've invested in plans to merge with another company? In this article, we'll show you how to invest around mergers and the ups and downs involved in the process.

What Is A Registered Investment Advisor?

The financial services industry is a rapidly changing professional environment. As the needs and desires of consumers change, firms engaged in managing money are also evolving. A registered investment advisor (RIA) manages the assets of high net-worth individuals and institutional investors, and sits on the buy side of the investment field.

Train To Gain With Neural Networks

Neural networks are state-of-the-art, trainable algorithms that emulate certain major aspects in the functioning of the human brain. This gives them a unique, self-training ability, the ability to formalize unclassified information and, most importantly, the ability to make forecasts based on the historical information they have at their disposal.

Samsung, Hynix May Gain After Sony-Toshiba DVD Battle (Update1)

Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Sony Corp. and Toshiba Corp. are fighting to set the industry standard for the next generation of DVD players. The spoils may go to memory-chip makers such as Samsung Electronics Co. and their shareholders.

U.S. Stocks Resume Rally After Prices Report; Adobe Shares Jump

Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. stocks resumed their rally after a government report showed that growth in consumer prices slowed, bolstering confidence the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates unchanged.

Reasons for a Sweeter Scenario in 2007

The case for gloom is, I admit, plenty strong.

Ford Plans 'Painful' Cuts

Ford (F - news - Cramer's Take) confirmed Friday that it plans a sweeping restructuring aimed at returning the struggling automaker to profitability. But the company warned that it doesn't expect to turn a full-year profit on its core North American car operations till 2009.

DaimlerChrysler Lowers 2006 Outlook

The German automaker now expects operating profit for the year to be $6.4 billion, down from the $7.7 billion the company said it expected in July.

Baidu is red hot

at the moment it is 87.07

Google butts up against a Chinese wall

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- In the battle for the Chinese search, Google Inc. continues to be flummoxed by leading local engine Baidu.com Inc., according to a new survey.
In addition, Google rival Yahoo Inc. seems to be having more success when it comes to winning new customers within the three largest markets inside the Asian economic powerhouse, according to new findings by China Intelliconsulting.

China's Booming Online Sales

B2C and C2C e-commerce has taken time to gain a foothold in China. However, the combination of new forms of payment systems like Alibaba's Alipay, an increase in credit card use, and an optimistic Chinese youth population willing to borrow against a bright future indicates that e-commerce might have finally found the growth engines needed to take off in the Middle Kingdom.

China: Tolerate Dissent to Continue Growth

Given the global admiration that China's economic ascendancy inspires abroad these days, it's easy to forget the mainland is run by a one-party state with a near-obsessive need to control sensitive information.

Using Logic To Examine Risk

If the risks of a particular investment are lower or the gains higher than the value of potential losses, people are willing to take chances. This is perfectly rational – in theory. But what if the risks only seem lower or the rewards seem higher? Then there is a problem for the investor, but big money to be made by the financial services industry.

Ping An May Raise $2.5 Billion in China Share Sale

Ping An Insurance (Group) Co., China's second-biggest insurer, may raise 20 billion yuan ($2.5 billion) in a domestic share sale in the first half of next year, three people with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Buffett and Soros

George Soros and Warren Buffett are the world's most successful investors. Can ordinary investors learn anything from their investment habits?

Chinese IPOs Skip U.S.

The rule among more mainland companies lately is to pass up American exchanges in favor of Hong Kong -- a worrying trend for the NYSE and Nasdaq, which have already missed out on several multibillion-dollar China IPOs this year.

Marvell Receives Noncompliance Note

Marvell Technology (MRVL) on Tuesday said it has received a delisting notice from the Nasdaq Stock Market, as a result of its delay in filing its second-quarter earnings report.

Goldman Strikes It Rich

Once again, Goldman Sachs outfoxed Wall Street analysts.

A Slow Burn for Ethanol

Falling gas prices have stolen a little heat from the corn-based additive, but thanks to government subsidies, it isn't going away

Palm Debuts 3G Treo for Europe

The PDA maker's first Windows Mobile smartphone for the Continent will be available exclusively through Vodaphone in October

A Talk with Emerging-Market Guru Mark Mobius

The CIO of Templeton Asset Management discusses emerging stock markets and how the consumer boom around the world is affecting them

Lacoste: The Alligator's Back in Style

Now enjoying an upscale renaissance, the clothing brand started by a tennis star at one point endured mass market shame under the Izod name

Do Hedge Funds Hold 'Trade Secrets'?

Bulldog Investors' Phillip Goldstein says yes, and he's preparing to launch a battle with the SEC over its 13F disclosure rule

Krispy Kreme: Still No Sugar Coating

Will the dark clouds hanging over Krispy Kreme Doughnuts ever lift? The Winston-Salem (N.C.)-based doughnut chain disclosed on Sept. 12 that it won't be able to file its second-quarter results on time, the latest in a long series of setbacks as it tries to recover from plunging sales and an accounting scandal.

Patents and the industry

The test of a drug company isn't just how good it is at developing new medicines, it's also how well its executives fight the patent wars.

Do ETF Managers Eat Their Own Cooking?

Exchange-traded fund families urge you to join the ETF revolution, but many of the people managing their own funds are sitting the uprising out.

Emerging markets help JC Decaux to record profit

JC Decaux reported record first-half profits on Wednesday, helped in part by its growing exposure to emerging markets.

Asian stocks steady

- Oil prices fell to near six-month lows on Wednesday, supporting Asian stocks as investors bet lower energy prices will spur consumer spending and boost corporate profits.

Soros gives $50 mln to tackle African poverty

Billionaire financier George Soros pledged $50 million on Wednesday to help the United Nations tackle extreme poverty and AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Ford and the fatal flaw of family businesses

Bill Ford’s departure represents exactly the sort of change many family businesses need. Here’s why the Wrigleys should stop gumming up the works.

The battle of the billionaires - Buffet vs Icahn

Warren Buffett and Carl Icahn didn’t build their fortunes by being wrong very often. But in the case of wallboard maker USG, only one can win.

China's Trade Surplus Widens; Potential Collaboration with U.S. in Oil Field Development

China's trade surplus for August grew 33% y-o-y to a new monthly record of $18.8 billion. This was the fourth-straight monthly record set and puts China's ytd surplus about $6 billion short of its entire surplus for 2005.

Despite Shanda's Q2 Improvement, Uncertainties Linger

Chinese on-line gaming company Shanda Interactive Entertainment continues to try and prove its "free to play" business model introduced in November 2005 is a success and is how best to capitalize on the Chinese market.

Dirty Dealings in China: Lucent Was the Warning Shot

Nearly two-and-a-half years after revelations of alleged improprieties at the China operations of Lucent (LU), the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has decided to take action against the telecommunications equipment operator. It appears by all accounts that Lucent were very cooperative in the investigation, and that this will work in their favor.

Chinese Tech Stock Weekly Update - Alibaba TaoBao

Alibaba would introduce a new service in the next month but declined to give details. Taobao, which displaced eBay (EBAY) in China's fast-growing market, is a free service with 27 million users and is adding 60,000 each day. The site was one factor that pushed eBay to cut prices last year. Yahoo China was absorbed by Ma's company when Yahoo bought a 40 percent stake in Alibaba last year for US$1 billion.

Shanghai Automotive to Beef Up Assets

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp's JV with General Motors is China's largest passenger-car maker by volume and its JV with Volkswagen is the countries second largest.

The Great Bubble of China?

The Chinese economy reminds me of the movie “Speed”, where Dennis Hopper wires a bus with explosives and sets them to blow if the bus goes slower than 50 miles per hour.

China's Surging Exports to Europe

Europe's spending revival looks helpful to the global economy but may not mean much to a slowing U.S. economy since many of the imports being bought are coming from China.

Apple Plans to Inhabit Living Room

in an unusual departure from Apple’s practice of announcing new products when they are ready to ship, he talked about a product due out early next year that will be the company’s first step into the living room. The device, which Apple is calling iTV for now, will plug into a television and wirelessly pull in video and music from a Macintosh computer in the den or from the Internet.

EU to clip the wings of central banks in bid to fight protectionism

BRUSSELS : The European Commission proposed setting strict limits on the powers of central banks to block mergers and takeovers in the banking sector.

Keep fuel, gasoline prices high, IMF chief urges governments

VIENNA : IMF chief Rodrigo Rato has criticised attempts to depress fuel prices in the United States, China and some other countries, and advocated raising prices instead of offering tax breaks or subsidies.

HP chairwoman to step down after spying scandal

SAN FRANCISCO : Hewlett-Packard said on Tuesday its chairwoman Patricia Dunn was stepping down after the computer maker become embroiled in an espionage scandal that has sparked legal investigations.

South Korea to open economy wider to cope with ageing population

SEOUL : South Korea said it would open up its economy wider and pursue an unpopular free trade agreement with the United States to maintain growth in the face of an ageing population.

Global financial markets face risk of major correction: IMF

SINGAPORE : The global economy is at risk of a major setback because investors seem to ignore evidence that it has reached a turning point, the International Monetary Fund warned on Tuesday.

China's industrial output up 15.7% in August

BEIJING : China's industrial output growth slowed for a second consecutive month in August, growing 15.7 percent compared with a year earlier, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed Wednesday.

Citibank beats out Society Generale for China's Guangdong Development Bank

SHANGHAI : China has approved a plan for a consortium led by US banking giant Citigroup to buy into Guangdong Development Bank, a bid that has beat out France's Societe Generale, an official said.

Two Videos on Warren Buffet

Buffett's Talk

An Interview with Buffett

Samsung issues bullish outlook on global semiconductor industry

Samsung Electronics Co. on Monday offered a bullish outlook on the global semiconductor industry, with a top executive predicting increased demand for chips used in both digital devices and personal computers.

Smooth traffic around Suntec despite road closures for IMF/World Bank meetings

Motorists heading to Suntec and Marina areas on Monday morning were bracing for traffic bottlenecks, the first day of road closures for the IMF/World Bank annual meetings being held at Suntec Singapore.



Why is this even here?

well just to let people know Singapore is safe ;) !

China's trade surplus at record US$18.8b in August

China's trade surplus hit a monthly record of US$18.8 billion in August, state media said Monday, just days before a key international meeting where the country's currency and trade practices could be in focus.

China's consumer price index rises 1.3% in August

China's consumer inflation picked up pace in August, rising 1.3 percent from a year earlier as services became more expensive, official data showed Monday.

India's state-run oil company signs oil exploration deal with Cuba

India's state-run oil company Sunday signed a deal with Cuba for deep-water oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, company officials announced.

South Korean watchdog probes Hyundai for alleged unfair trading

Anti-trust regulators have launched a probe into allegations of unfair trading by South Korea's top automaker Hyundai Motor.

Dell Delays Filing Quarterly Report Amid SEC Probe

Dell Inc., the world's largest personal-computer maker, delayed filing its quarterly report and said the U.S. Justice Department joined the Securities and Exchange Commission in probing the company's accounting.

The Ultimate Value Investor's Portfolio

... given that I only have one set of eyes with a finite amount of time available to devote to research, piggybacking on others' work and ideas can often lead to fruitful investments that may otherwise not be immediately apparent...

Biolase's Korean Question

Biolase (BLTI), a company bent on taking the fear out of dentistry, seems reluctant to open its own mouth lately

China to shy away from administrative controls to rein in economy

BEIJING : China will opt for economic and legal, rather than administrative, means in trying to rein in investment in the second half of this year, vice premier Zeng Peiyan said.

World market volatility on the increase: BIS

World markets have recovered from a mid-year downturn but are likely to remain volatile because of investor jitters, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) said on Monday.

BIS Quarterly Review, September 2006

The BIS Quarterly Review released today is divided into two parts. The first presents an overview of recent developments in financial markets, before turning in more detail to highlights from the latest BIS data on international banking and financial activity. The second part presents five special feature articles: the first on the changing composition of official reserves; another on the domestic implications of foreign exchange reserve accumulation in emerging markets; a third on forward currency markets in Asia and lessons from the Australian experience; a fourth on derivatives activity and monetary policy; and a fifth on the past 150 years of financial market volatility.

Doing Business Online

The dot-com boom is long over. Big deal. These entrepreneurs are still using the Web to break new ground

MySpace: No Free Ride in Europe

The social-networking site rules in the U.S. Overseas is another matter, due to competition and a fragmented market

Tech-crash summer all over again

The rally that erupted in August looks like the rally of the late summer of 2000, when chip stocks rose even as their customers imploded.

IBM Ships Chips to Nintendo

China's Finance Minister Echoes Paulson's Yuan Call

China, under pressure from the U.S. and Europe to let the yuan strengthen, is starting to hear the same calls from its own currency experts.

Genting to Buy Stanley for $901 Mln, Add U.K. Casinos

Genting Bhd., a gaming company owned by Malaysia's third-richest family, will buy Stanley Leisure Plc, the largest U.K. casino operator, for 483.6 million pounds ($901 million) to reduce a reliance on Asia as competition mounts.

Spike in China's outbound investments could mean big change

BEIJING : A sudden spike in China's investments abroad is a harbinger of momentous changes in global fund flows that could eventually transform the Asian giant into a major source of capital, analysts said.

World economy has strong heartbeat but with tremors

PARIS : The IMF, World Bank and G7 finance ministers will say that the world economy has a vibrant heartbeat when they meet next week in Singapore, but tremors are present in the form of slowing US growth and high oil prices.

Asia to showcase economic strength at IMF/World Bank meeting

SINGAPORE - Asia's robust economies will take the spotlight when the annual IMF/World Bank meetings return to the region for the first time since the 1997 financial crisis, providing a stark contrast to the blighted landscape then, officials said.

Tailoring Your Investment Plan

"Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax." - Abraham Lincoln

For the do-it-yourself investor, knowing your strengths and weaknesses - as well as how much time and effort you are willing to commit to charting your investment course - will put you in the best position to succeed. This article will address the best ways to break down the often daunting task of understanding and allocating your investments.

HP Boardroom troubles?

Boardroom Bad Behavior

Fear and Loathing Grip H-P Boardroom

Broadcom's Options Bombshell

On Sept. 8, Broadcom (BRCM) provided another sense of the massive scale of the probes when it said it expects to restate earnings to subtract $1.5 billion of options expenses, twice as much as it had estimated on July 14. Broadcom said additional sums are the result of more investigation of its accounts since the earlier announcement.

Meet the iTunes Wannabes

From MySpace to AOL, the list of would-be iTunes rivals is getting longer, but don't expect them to knock Apple from its perch just yet

To Fulfill Potential, Beijing Must Shed Its Shroud Of Smog

Beijing's current air pollution scourge poses a big challenge for both the city and for China. Unless it is addressed vigorously, this richly historical city will never live up to its potential as one of the world's great cultural centers and tourist destinations.

Macau Set to Trump Las Vegas in Gambling Biz

With hotels, entertainment—and huge investment—promoters like Steve Wynn are making this Chinese territory the world's new betting capital

Facebook Learns from Its Fumble

After an outcry over a news feed feature, the site is tightening privacy protections—and promises to do market testing next time

Treo Troubles Trigger Palm Plunge

Even an industry standard needs the occasional refresh, and revised sales expectations have shaken investor confidence

YouTube: Waiting For The Payoff

The video-sharing Web site is a runaway success -- everywhere but on the bottom line

EBAY 101

The wealth of data that the auction giant makes available has also been a boon to researchers. Professors of marketing, economics, management, and psychology have published dozens of papers to try to explain how and why eBay users buy and sell online. We've combed through the data to boil it down to what eBay sellers really want to know: How to get the best price. Here's what we found.

AOL—Crashing

The Internet service provider's declining fortunes may serve as a cautionary tale, but redemption isn't out of the question

Online Gaming: Korea's Gotta Have It

Famous Steed was a legend. For more than two years, the magician had used fire, ice, and lightning to battle dragons and monsters on the fantasy continent of Hellmarsh, eventually climbing 162 levels to become one of the top five players among hundreds of thousands of rivals in the Korean online game A3.

Calif. AG: Charges likely in HP scandal

While state Attorney General Bill Lockyer has determined Hewlett-Packard Co.'s clandestine investigation of its own board members violated the law, he says it's still unclear whether anyone will be prosecuted.

Microsoft to release cheaper Xbox 360

Microsoft Co. is set to release a cheaper, bare-bones version of the Xbox 360 video game console in Japan to boost flagging sales ahead of the arrival of new machines from rivals later in the year

Unpacking Amazon's Unbox Video Service

Amazon (AMZN) finally launched its long-awaited online video service on Sept. 7. But it's no sure thing that it will catch on with the masses. The service, called Amazon Unbox, offers downloads of movies and television shows, as well as digital movie rentals.

Selling Out for Buybacks

Earlier this year, management of media giant Tribune (TRB) took some dramatic steps to appease shareholders upset over the company's stagnant stock price. Tribune agreed to borrow as much as $2 billion to repurchase 25% of its shares, in a move designed to boost its return

Nissan's New European Crossover

Nissan yesterday presented for the first time its new Compact Crossover for Europe, the QASHQAI at an event hosted in Paris by Carlos Ghosn, Nissan's President and CEO.

Google Digs Into the Archives

The search giant will index 200 years of news content and give users the option to buy full articles—a potential boon to online publishers

Rules for Making Stock-for-Pay Work Well

That funny money you have called "stock" can come in handy to engage that Web designer or direct-mail marketer you've been lusting after but whose rates seem out of your league.

How to Score Funding Without VCs

Building a company from scratch is never easy. You have got to create products customers want, a business model that works, and a team that can execute with precision. On top of that, you need lots of luck, good timing, and money in the bank.

Shutterfly Sets IPO Price Range

Shutterfly's biggest risk is competition from big-box retailers like Wal-Mart and Target, which let customers order prints of digital photos on their web sites and in their stores.

Business Booby Traps

You've invented a product or started a business. You've done all your homework--written a business plan, conducted market research, compared manufacturers, even developed a plan for publicity. You've dotted all your I's, crossed all your T's. It's all under control.

Right?

Funding Options for Bad Credit Risks

For better or worse, your credit score has become your "SAT score" when it comes to financing. If you have a high score, you'll have a pretty easy time getting credit offers from a wide variety of funding sources. If your score is low or nonexistent, however, you won't.

Which Accounting Software is Best for You?

When it comes to choosing the best accounting or bookkeeping software for your business, the good news is, you've got a lot of options. So how do you decide which one will works best for you? The answer depends on your business needs.

China to Foreign Companies: Be Good or Face Unionization

Our Party Chief here in the Hutong was talking with me about the unionization of Wal-Mart (WMT) and Foxconn, and she brought up an interesting possibility that I had (stupidly, I now think) not considered before.

The Great Bubble of China?

The Chinese economy reminds me of the movie “Speed”, where Dennis Hopper wires a bus with explosives and sets them to blow if the bus goes slower than 50 miles per hour

Shanghai Automotive to Beef Up Assets

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp's JV with General Motors is China's largest passenger-car maker by volume and its JV with Volkswagen is the countries second largest.

The Case for Income from Individual Stocks

Stock mutual funds are fine for accumulating wealth over one's working life, offering convenience, diversification, and professional management. However, they're not very good at generating income.

Global Terror's Impact on Capital Markets

A study by Merrill Lynch researchers and high-yield strategists Christopher Garman and Oleg Melentyev, while limited in scope, suggests some interesting findings on market reactions to recent terrorist attacks around the globe.

Chrysler decides against VW cooperation: report

DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group has decided against a cooperation deal with German car maker Volkswagen to produce a new sub-compact car, a German magazine said on Saturday.

JADE CONFIRMS SALIENT FEATURES OF TSR 20 RUBBER FUTURES CONTRACT

Singapore, September 1, 2006 – Joint Asian Derivatives Exchange (JADE) is pleased to confirm the key features of its first product, Technically Specified Rubber 20 Futures Contract (TSR 20 Rubber), which is targeted for launch by September 25, 2006.

Baidu Partners With CSIP For Open Source Software

The two parties will seek projects from the open source communities and support selective projects after evaluation. According to Baidu CTO Deng Jianguo, the two parties will jointly develop a Baidu super search tool bar based on Firefox, which will allows Firefox users to use Baidu's web, MP3, picture, community, news and other search services.

ConocoPhillips confirms North Sea discovery

ConocoPhillips (COP.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Friday it had confirmed the discovery of a new gas condensate field in the North Sea and was now seeking to determine whether to develop the find.

Google to open local R&D center - Zhu Shenshen

SHANGHAI will be home to Google Inc's third Chinese-based research and development center

Microsoft: EU Could Delay Vista

Microsoft may delay the European launch of Vista, the next generation of Windows, because of a conflict with regulators.

Mozilla Hires Microsoft Security Exec

And they just keep going.... to Mozilla no less!

Microsoft's Vista Launch Critical To Chip Co's

"Vista is critical for semiconductors" and is a "big deal," Whittington said. The operating system offers advanced features that demand more processor power, memory and graphics, which means Windows XP users will need both software and hardware upgrades.


Is'nt this a bad thing for most consumers???

Windows exec Valentine leaves Microsoft

Brian Valentine, a 19-year Microsoft veteran and one of the key executives behind Windows Vista, has left the company.



And apparently this is where he went...

Wholesale lots online, direct from China, at China prices

Global Sources Direct (http://www.globalsourcesdirect.com) now offers small buyers more choices to order wholesale lots online, direct from China, at low China prices. As a result of customer feedback, two new categories have joined its product lineup: “Novelties” and “Printer Consumables.” In addition, a separate section offering products at substantially discounted prices has also been added.

Risk in financial reporting: status, challenges and suggested directions

Advances in risk measurement technology have reshaped financial markets and the functioning of the financial system. More recently, they have been reshaping the prudential framework. Looking forward, they have the potential to reshape financial reporting too. Recent initiatives to improve financial reporting standards have brought to the fore significant differences in perspective between accounting standard setters and prudential authorities. Building on previous work, we argue that risk measurement and management technology can be instrumental in bridging this gap and, by the same token, in improving financial reporting. Risk measurement plays a crucial role in the measurement, verification and validation of valuations. It is the basis for giving more prominence to risk and measurement error information in public disclosures. And it could act as more of a focal point in the design of accounting standards, as greater consistency between sound risk management practices and accounting standards can help to narrow the wedge between accounting and underlying economic valuations.

Risk and liquidity in a system context

This paper explores the pricing of debt in a financial system where the assets that borrowers hold to meet their obligations include claims against other borrowers. Assessing financial claims in a system context captures features that are missing in a partial equilibrium setting. It is possible for spreads to fall as debts rise, as debt-fuelled increases in asset prices and stronger balance sheets reinforce each other. Conversely, it is possible that de-leveraging leads to increases in spreads, as is often observed during crises.

Financial Stability Forum meets in Paris

The Financial Stability Forum (FSF) met today in Paris, the first meeting chaired by Mario Draghi, Governor of the Bank of Italy. Members of the FSF discussed risks and vulnerabilities in the international financial system and reviewed ongoing work to strengthen financial system stability and resilience.

Alternatives To The Cold Call

Perhaps one of the hardest things about being a finance professional is cold calling potential clients in an effort to build business. Although the cold call is likely to remain a valuable tool in the foreseeable future, there are other - often better - methods that professionals can use to generate business. We'll give you a few creative ideas you can take to work.

The Foreign Exchange Interbank Market

According to an April 2004 report by the Bank for International Settlements, the foreign exchange market has an average daily volume of close to $2,000 billion, making it the largest market in the world. Unlike most other exchanges such as the New York Stock Exchange or the Chicago Board of Trade, the FX market is not a centralized market. In a centralized market, each transaction is recorded by price dealt and volume traded. There is usually one central place back to which all trades can be traced and there is often one specialist or market maker. The currency market, however, is a decentralized market. There isn't one "exchange" where every trade is recorded. Instead, each market maker records his or her own transactions and keeps it as proprietary information. The primary market makers who make bid and ask spreads in the currency market are the largest banks in the world. They deal with each other constantly either on behalf of themselves or their customers. This is why the market on which banks conduct transactions is called the interbank market.

Strategies For Quarterly Earnings Season

For better or for worse, companies are judged by their ability to beat market expectations. All eyes are on whether companies "hit their numbers" - in other words, whether they manage to match Wall Street analysts' consensus estimates. Knowing the importance of those estimates can help investors manage through quarterly earnings results. Read on to learn some tips for survival.

Google Gains as Ads Slow

Google , Yahoo! and other Internet companies are continuing to benefit from the shift of advertising dollars online, even as concerns about a possible economic slowdown intensify.

The "Do Nots" of Networking

Informal recruiting events are becoming more popular at B-schools. Here are 10 ways to avoid making a bad impression

Value investment - Hong Kong Investment Firm Value Partners Considering HK IPO

Value Partners is a Hong Kong-based management firm applying the value approach to stock investing in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

China's Banking Sector Looks Better with New Corporate Bankruptcy Law

China now has its first formal corporate-bankruptcy process after the Enterprise Bankruptcy Law was enacted last week following twelve long years of deliberation.

Embraer Plays By the Chinese Rules- And Wins

The General Administration of Civil Aviation of China [CAAC] had apparently been sitting on an order for some Embraer regional jets. Embraer, which had built a factory in Harbin with the expectation that China would be a gigantic market for regional jets, was finding things a bit rough going for its China operations, as the Harbin plant was apparently all but idle.

Wal-Mart to drop one-size-fits-all approach: WSJ

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. , the world's biggest retailer, is trying to boost sluggish sales gains by dropping its one-size-fits-all approach to retailing, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

US govt investigating over 100 companies in stock options probe

US government regulators are investigating over 100 companies, including some of America's biggest corporations, for possible stock options fraud, a top securities official said.

Apple updates iMacs with faster Intel chips

Apple Computer Inc. updated its iMac computer with faster versions of Intel Corp. chips and introduced the lowest-cost model of its most popular desktop machine to attract holiday shoppers.

GM extends vehicle warranties

General Motors Corp. has increased the power train warranty on all of its 2007 passenger vehicles to five years and 100,000 miles (160,000 kilometres), a move the auto maker hopes will boost its reputation for quality compared with its main Japanese rivals.

PlayStation 3's European Release Delayed

The company is still sticking to its initial global target of shipping 6 million PlayStation 3 machines by March 2007.

Palm plunges after cutting revenue guidance

Share of handheld device maker Palm (PALM, news, msgs) fell nearly 7% before hours after cutting its revenue guidance Wednesday afternoon.

Openwave Systems Reports Elimination Of Four Senior Management Level Positions And Staff Reduction - Quick Facts

CDC Software Adds Business T&G Group to Franchise Partner Program

CDC Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of CDC Corporation (NASDAQ: CHINA) and a provider of enterprise software applications, today announced that Business T&G Group has joined the company's Franchise Partner Program. The program, which includes $20 million designated for investment in channel partners, was launched earlier in 2006 by CDC Software to establish strategic relationships with franchise partners in selected geographies and accelerate mutual business expansion. Business T&G is the second partner selected into the Franchise Partner Program in two months.

Shanda and Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Automation Announce to Establish a Digital Interactive Entertainment Laboratory

Shanda Interactive
Entertainment Limited (Nasdaq: SNDA) (''Shanda''), a leading interactive
entertainment media company in China, Interjoy Technology Ltd., an
affiliated company of Shanda, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences'
Institute of Automation (''CASIA'') announced today that the three parties
will work closely together to establish a Digital Interactive Entertainment
Laboratory (the ''Lab'').

ConocoPhillips To Study Calif Oil-Tainted Soil For Danger

ConocoPhillips (COP) officials said Wednesday the company will investigate groundwater on the Nipomo Mesain San Luis Obispo County, Calif., to determine whether crude oil found underground more than three years ago poses a threat.

A Pump Price Conspiracy?

Not really. Retail gas prices did remain high as wholesale prices slid, but now competition is pushing pump prices down

Vivendi Second-Quarter Net Rises 53% on Pay-TV , Gain (Update3)

Vivendi SA, the French media company that's buying Bertelsmann AG's music-publishing division for $2.1 billion, said second-quarter profit rose 53 percent, helped by pay TV and the sale of a stake in chemical maker DuPont Co.

SAP 's Kagermann May Consider Purchase to Expand Product Line

SAP AG Chief Executive Officer Henning Kagermann said the software provider may make an acquisition that expands its offerings beyond business-management programs after completing a product overhaul in two years.

How to play the fall market slump

That remarkably predictable seasonal trend is upon us. Here are 5 guidelines for the savvy investor that may help make the season more merry.

Baidu China IPO Report Wrong

A Reuters report claiming that leading Chinese-language search engine Baidu is contemplating a domestic listing is the erroneous result of a “misunderstanding,” according to Cynthia He, investor relations manager for Baidu.

The Money Market: A Look Back - Inflation

Few things are more devastating to your returns than unexpected inflation because it diminishes purchasing power. Throughout history, periods of high inflation or hyperinflation have decimated the savings of investors. Therefore, you can't completely understand your returns unless you look at them in relation to inflation.

Iceland's Krona, World's Worst Currency in First Half, Soars

Iceland's krona, the world's worst performing currency in the first half of 2006, is back on top as hedge funds find the country's bonds irresistible.

Italy Studying Asset Sales to Cut Debt

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said his government is studying the sale of state-owned property and stakes in companies to reduce the European Union's biggest debt.

Apple's sound strategy for the iPod

More than three years after the music companies handed Steve Jobs the keys to the kingdom by releasing their catalogues to him in digital form, Apple's dominant position in the digital music business looks secure.

Nasdaq considers hostile bid for LSE: report

Nasdaq Stock Market Inc is considering making a hostile bid for the London Stock Exchange

GE Capital, Santander still seeking share of China Citic

GE Capital and Grupo Santander are among five international financial institutions still in the running for a stake of up to 10 percent in China Citic Bank, Hong Kong media said.

Bangladesh airline employees threaten to shut airports

Thousands of employees at Bangladesh's national carrier Biman have threatened to shut down the country's airports this week to demand payment of wages and a 95 million dollar government bailout.

Financing an Acquisition

Why do some entrepreneurs seem to get so hung up on making their original idea work that they rarely consider growth by acquisition?

Daytrading S&P: The Hardest Game in Town

The rapid growth of low-cost computer technology, virtually instant communications afforded by the Internet and lightning-fast order execution have created conditions highly favorable to daytrading. Significant intraday price swings and volatility have added to the recipe.

Starting a business in five minutes !!

Keyword is starting of course ;)

Baidu.com considers China listing, but faces blocks

China's Internet search leader Baidu.com Inc. (BIDU.O: Quote, Profile, Research) is considering a domestic listing, a step towards advancing its long-term aim to acquire search engine-related companies, a senior executive said on Saturday

Bangladesh shipping firms suspend use of port, halting trade

Bangladesh's trade shipments have ground to a virtual halt as shipping firms refused to use the nation's main port in a protest over container fees.

"Most of the private shipping companies have today (Saturday) suspended transporting cargoes to and from Chittagong port," Chittagong Port Authority chairman Shahadat Hossain said.

Working papers from Bank for International Settlements

Do accounting changes affect the economic behaviour of financial firms?


Institution-specific value



Fair value accounting for financial instruments: some implications for bank regulation