With large purchases of iron ore, copper and oil, China has been taking full advantage of depressed commodities prices and excess production capacity. Now, the Red Dragon is making its presence felt in the natural gas market – landing two blockbuster deals in the past two weeks. The first was an unprecedented $41 billion liquefied […]
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China Curbs Bank Lending but Vows to Keep Liquidity High
Beijing continued a delicate balancing act yesterday (Wednesday), vowing to keep stoking its economy with funding from its $787 billion stimulus program even as it implements new controls on bank lending. After spending three days visiting the restive eastern province of Zhejiang, Premier Wen Jiabao argued for maintaining the loose economic policies implemented under the […]
With Reappointment in the Bag, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke Turns to Face Troublesome New Challenges
For U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, the biggest challenges are still to come. U.S. President Barack Obama yesterday (Tuesday) nominated Bernanke for a second four-year term as chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve. The appointment was mildly controversial and must be approved by the Senate, but lawmakers and investors overwhelmingly approved of the […]
Is Ben Bernanke's Reappointment Bad News For Investors?
I am now fully used to U.S. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's extraordinary self-regard. However, I have to admit that even I was surprised by last Friday's CBS Marketwatch headline: "We Saved the World From Disaster, Bernanke Says." Although that's an extraordinarily cheeky claim, it seems to have persuaded U.S. President Barack Obama, who yesterday (Tuesday) […]
The Secret to Building a Portfolio that Pays - in Good Markets and in Bad
With the very real possibility that the stock market recovery has outrun the global economic rebound, investors need to consider defensive investments that will provide protection and even some profits should some of the world's top stock markets take it on the chin. To be sure, stock prices in many of the markets around the […]
Six Ways to Profit From Guru Jim Rogers' Prediction That Sugar is Sweeter Than Gold
Global investing icon Jim Rogers is shifting his sights from gold to sugar. And with good reason. Sugar prices have zoomed more than 80% since the start of the year – eclipsing the 21-cent-per-pound mark for the first time in 28 years. But Rogers says there's more room to run: Even after its scorching advance […]
Home Sales Will Struggle to Rebound Without Tax Credit Extension
A rise in existing home sales last month shows things are getting better in the U.S. housing market, but the still-dire unemployment situation and the looming possibility of a jobless recovery may halt the rally by the end of the year. That makes the extension of an $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers imperative. Existing […]
In the Race for a U.S. Economic Rebound, Growing Debt and Budget Deficits Remain the Biggest Possible Roadblock
Even as investors get more and more bullish about the outlook for the U.S. economy, the economy’s underlying foundation continues to erode. In a report to be released this week, the Obama administration will boost its 10-year projection for the federal budget deficit to about $9 trillion – an increase of roughly $2 trillion, or […]
Why Asia Will Supplant Detroit as the Global Center of the Auto Industry
Asia is poised to become the "new" Detroit. Here in the United States, at a cost of a mere $3 billion, the "Cash-for-Clunkers" program appears to have given new hope to the U.S. auto industry. But that new hope is destined to be short-lived. It's true that – in terms of value delivered for the […]
Why Asia Will Supplant Detroit as the Global Center of the Auto Industry
Asia is poised to become the "new" Detroit. Here in the United States, at a cost of a mere $3 billion, the "Cash-for-Clunkers" program appears to have given new hope to the U.S. auto industry. But that new hope is destined to be short-lived. It's true that – in terms of value delivered for the […]