Salient to Investors: Chua Hak Bin at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said: Total foreign direct investment into Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand was $128.4 billion in 2103 versus $117.6 billion for China. Rising foreign direct investment into Asean will remain a favorable structural trend over the
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Jim O’Neill said: We are closer to a buying opportunity in emerging-market stocks than to joining in the panic. While some places in the emerging world have real problems, to herald an emerging-market crisis is ridiculous. Ukraine, Thailand, Argentina and Turkey have some serious issues. The Fed decision
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: William Pesek writes: I agree with Tom Holland at The South China Morning Post that China cannot both maintain 7 percent-plus growth rates and implement huge reforms. Thailand has seen 18 coups in the past 60 years. The whole reason for being bullish on Japan Inc. so
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: William Pesek is writes: The “Greenspan put” that flooded markets with cash whenever things got dicey has become the default position in Washington, while in Asia there is an even more dangerous escalation of this policy in papering over cracks in economies that desperately need tougher, structural
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Mark Matthews at Julius Baer said the sell-off of Thai assets is not over and the protests will weaken Yingluck’s ability to increase investment in the economy – no one is itching to buy this market. Joel Kim at BlackRock said the Thai baht is one of
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: William Pesek writes: Another 1997-like Asian crisis is highly unlikely because exchange rates are now more flexible, foreign-currency debt is lower, banks are healthier, countries are sitting on trillions of dollars of reserves, and economies are far more transparent. The same can’t be said of 1994, when the
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: William Pesek writes: Thailand has 5.3 percent growth, a young and expanding population, and a surprising level of political stability. Yet Thailand has subsidized rice prices, provided handouts to car buyers and favored mega projects that will enrich the politically connected – all at the expense of long-term
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