At an energy risk management seminar in Hong Kong last week, the course leader remarked that the Chinese businessmen he does business with either come from, or are focussed on, building multi-generational dynasties. That is very similar to the way that real wealth is created in investment markets, namely the identification of long-term goals and
In 1977, just prior to “The King’s” untimely passing, 170 people were earning a living as Elvis Presley impersonators worldwide. Twenty years later, their number had increased to 85,000 and experts were predicting that, by 2019, half the world’s population would be Elvis impersonators. See what happened there? In spite of the fact that much of their output
Mining stocks have weighed on the FTSE 100 after a big drop in exports from China, the world’s top metals consumer, spooked investors. The UK blue chip index fell 53 points, or 0.9%, to 6,129, with mining stocks registering heavy falls on news that Chinese exports tumbled 25.4% in February, a much bigger fall than
China continued to have room to increase government spending to prop up the economy, but it was unclear just how much, the country’s finance minister said on Monday. Speaking at a news conference during the annual session of China’s parliament, finance minister Lou Jiwei said fiscal income would slow in future, but China continued to have
Two of Warren Buffet’s trademark quotes “Be greedy when others are fearful” and “Only when the tide goes out do you discover who’s been swimming naked” have been repeated regularly in this column since we began in 2002. The general thesis being, at the points of highest volatility and investor pessimism, be brave. However, the
