Asian Stocks Boosted By Smartphone Sales

January 30th, 2013 by admin No comments »

Asian stocks generally rose this past week; Hong Kong and Australian markets remained high in anticipation of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s new policy choice, while a number of Japanese shares increased as a result of smartphone exposure.

The Hong Kong Hang Send Index climbed 1 percent after reaching its highest level since May of 2011. The Shanghai Composite Index made slow but definite progress as well, growing 0.2 percent.

In Japan, the Nikkei Stock Average increased 1.2 percent. Outlook on earnings actually buoyed the Japanese market over the past week. For example, Yahoo Japan Corp. grew a whopping 15.7 percent after updated their fiscal-year prediction to a 10-11 percent gain.

Telecoms saw significant earnings-related purchasing as well after the Nikkei reported a 10 percent gain forecast thanks to the company’s iPhone sales. Similarly, KDDI Corp. revealed a 40 percent gain in operating profit after evaluating their iPhone sales.

 

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Youku to Buy Its Chief Competitor in $1 Billion Deal

September 11th, 2012 by admin No comments »

With their eyes on cutting costs and reducing competition,  Youku Inc, the owner of China’s most popular on-line video site, is moving to buy Tudou Holdings Ltd. for about $1 billion.

Tudou is one of Youku’s smaller competitors; when the merger is achieved the two internet companies together will have an easier time competing with China’s most popular online sites such as Baidu Inc and Tencent Holdings. Investors in the Chinese market are studying the deal carefully and watching how it will affect the overall economy and the specific high-tech/technology market.

The two companies issued a joint statement explaining what the deal could mean for holders of shares, or ADRs. (ADRs are American depositary receipts, which act like shares of stock in America but really represent shares in an off-shore company, in this case in China.) Within days of announcing the proposed takeover the ADR value of Tudou increased by 159 percent. In other words, for each ADR of Tudou owned, Youku will replace with 1.595 ADRs of Youku stock.

It is now up to shareholders of both Youku and Tudou to approve the deal, which is expected, but not until the third quarter of 2012. When the deal has been transacted Youku shareholders will own almost three-quarters of the new, larger company, which will take on the new nomen of Youku Tudou Inc.

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Xinjiang Looks Good to Investors

September 3rd, 2012 by admin No comments »

The autonomous region of Xinjiang Uygur in northwest China is becoming an essential part of investments in China for other Asian and European countries, said officials at the second annual China-Eurasia Expo.

“Linking China to Asian and European countries, Xinjiang has become one of the most popular investing destinations for investors from other countries,” said Erkin Imirbakhi, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Xinjiang Regional People’s Congress, at the expo’s 2012 Eurasian Investment Promotion Agencies Roundtable.

“Thanks to its geographic advantage and rich reserve of resources, Xinjiang has tremendous business opportunities that attract investors worldwide,” he said.

Foreign investment in Xinjiang has already topped $3 billion with no end in sight as 500 additional foreign investors are currently looking to get a toehold in the region. At the moment the investments are growing rapidly and they are mostly made up of energy, mining and manufacturing industries.

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Opportunities Abound in Asia

August 3rd, 2012 by admin No comments »

Businessmen sometimes need to be reminded that China is not synonymous with Asia. Today the entire continent is growing fast, and opportunities outside of China proper might be a better choice for many investors.

Indonesia and the Philippines are great places to begin looking for that perfect investment outside of China. One company that is taking advantage of the favorable conditions in the archipelago which consists of over 17,000 islands is the British Columbian firm of Ballard Power Systems.

The population of Indonesia exceeds 240 million, making it the world’s fourth most populated country after China, India and the United States. With a growth rate of seven percent annually, Indonesia is a nation that would be foolish for any businessman to ignore.

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Indians are Asia’s Big Spenders Says Survey

August 1st, 2012 by admin No comments »

Indian business travelers have the second largest budget for spending per trip, with only Singaporean businessmen topping them, spending $339 versus $468, according to a recent survey.

The survey showed that the most important elements of a business trip to travelers from the Asia-Pacific region were the location, a free Wifi connection and competitive prices of hotel rooms.  Asian businessmen based their choice of hotels on the closeness of the hotel to the business venue, with 53% saying it was an important feature of their choice. The presence of Wifi influenced their decision of where to stay 49% of the time, while competitive rates were slightly less important, with 46% saying that fact influenced their decision.

Thailand is the up and coming star as a top business destination according to the survey, which was conducted by Accor Asia-Pacific Business Traveler. The most visited destination today is Hong Kong, with Singapore following closely in second place.

The survey was done during July 10-16 and asked 2,500 travelers from a total of nine countries in the Asian region, including Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. All the respondents made business trips during the first half of 2012.

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Fixed- Base Operator Shanghai Hawker Showcased at Conference

April 1st, 2012 by admin No comments »

The Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE) held its annual event in March in Shanghai, hosted by the Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business Aviation Service Centre. SHPBASC is the single Fixed-base operator (FBO) at the Hongqiao International Airport, and the conference was a golden chance for Hawker to show its spots.

“What other FBO in the world gets to have 6,000 of its primary customers come and have an opportunity to see the facility up close and in person for three days?” said Carey Matthews, Shanghai Hawker Pacific’s general manager. “It cost us a lot of time and energy, but it is a superb opportunity to help aviation grow in China and also for us to grow in Shanghai.”

The conference was a sold-out smash hit, taking up the maintenance hangar for the displays while its ramp held a large exhibition pavilion. Also on hand were a large number of OEM chalets and the static displays of upwards of 30 large model business jets. The organizers said that next year should bring even more attendees who are attracted to the prospect of even more planes on exhibit.

It is expected that ABACE will utilize the venue for the next several years to come. Matthews says that this location can accommodate as many as 80 aircraft on the south ramp without interfering with the airports normal traffic.

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Australasian Companies Prefer Asia for Investments

October 11th, 2011 by admin No comments »

According to a recent report by professional services organization, Ernst & Young, it seems that these days the most preferred region for Australasian companies to make their investments is in the Asia Pacific region.  The study by the firm was conducted in September 2011, and looked at a thousand business executives around the world.

More than 70 percent of Australasian companies would choose the Asia Pacific region to make their investments, the study found.  Looking internationally, almost half of investors would likewise also choose the same region.  Out of the entire region, the main countries investors choose seem to be: China, India, Malaysia and Singapore.

Investors Priorities

When it comes to what investors are seeking, over half of the companies are focusing on growth (slightly more than a few months ago, when the figure was just under half) and 42 percent are concentrating on preserving stability (this figure has increased 9 percent from April).  Over the same time frame, there has been a decrease in the companies looking for survival (from 18 to 7 percent) which is definitely a good thing since it is indicative that economically things are looking up and that the recession isn’t necessarily paramount on every investors mind these days.  In fact, the 7 percent figure is the lowest it has been since the study began back in 2009; clearly good news for recessional worries.

China Popularity

So why is it so popular – and this has been the case for a long time – to invest in China?  According to an article in Seeking Alpha, there are five main reasons.  First, the country’s huge population (which is almost double of that of America) results in a large customer count. Second, the amount of different types of investments available due to the sheer volume of the companies and businesses there.  Third, the national pride that exists in the country’s companies.  Fourth, the idea of sovereign protection in the country; China is working on encouraging its citizens to increase consumption in the country.  Fifth, the recent appreciation of the Yuan.

So it makes sense that investors are looking towards Asia – and more specifically China – to put their capital.

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China’s Golden Week Highly Profitable This Year

October 10th, 2011 by admin No comments »

Julius Santos, the director of marketing for the Four Seasons Hotel in Macau was pleased with the upsurge in revenue during this year’s “Golden Week” holiday in China.

Santos explained that this year not only was there more tourists occupying hotel rooms, but the average length of hotel stays was also up. In addition, the hotel was able to charge more for hotel rooms per day as a result of the increase in the number of guests.

The celebration of China’s “National Day” is one week long, and a popular place to spend the holiday is in Macau, China’s only area where gambling casinos are legal. The Macau Four Seasons is located on the highly popular Cotai Strip, where Santos said that occupancy of the Four Seasons was “pretty much 100 percent.”

Other hotels in the area reporting equally successful “Golden Weeks” were the Wynn Macau Ltd. and the Mandarin Oriental, which also described full bookings for the week.

Macau is near to Hong Kong, and was under Portuguese rule until Portugal returned the city to China in 1999.

“Business was definitely stronger,” Santos said. “The majority of the city was booked up during Golden Week.”

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China’s Political Impact on Washington and Vice Versa

October 10th, 2011 by admin No comments »

The China Currency Bill – that is set to reach the Senate on October 12, 2011 – would result in tariffs on China and other countries in the Asian region.  The rationale behind this is that their currencies have been depressed in an effort to boost exports.  Thus these countries now have to pay the price. But ultimately, critics say that it would not make sense when analyzing government trade data.   It could negatively impact the American economy, resulting in job loss as well as economic surplus from Chinese trade and business in the country when China stops bringing in its business in revenge.  Everything has its consequences: Washington needs to seriously weigh up everything before reaching a decision.

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Oil Tanker Leak Near New Zealand Under Control

October 8th, 2011 by admin No comments »

A Liberian-flagged ship released oil off the coast of New Zealand after striking a reef on October 5th. A thin film of oil, called sheen, has spread over an area which is now moving westward away from the ship and the northern New Zealand port of Tauranga.

It is believed that oil has stopped leaking from the Rena, a 32-year-old cargo ship which reported carrying 25 unhurt crew members, over 2,000 containers, and some hazardous materials in addition to oil.

Maritime New Zealand announced that the priority at the moment is to remove all the remaining fuel from the disabled ship. Over 500 defense personnel have been called to action along with four naval boats and teams of underwater and aerial experts to assess the overall situation and prepare a cleanup protocol.

The ship struck the reef about 12 nautical miles from the coast of New Zealand, damaging pipes and causing two of the ship’s holds to flood. Although the ship is listing to port, the vessel is stable and the tanks containing the remaining oil were reported as not damaged.

New Zealand’s Green Party is requesting the government to release more details about the materials on board the stricken ship, with special concern for the hazardous goods in transit.

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