China in Midst of ‘Greatest Bubble in History,’ Rickards Says – Bloomberg.com

Posted by Matt in March 17th, 2010 | no comment

Published in China, Financial Crisis, Amp, Asset Allocation, Banks, Boom, China Economy, China S Economy, Crash, Doom, Economic Growth, Gloom, Harvard University Professor, Hong Kong, Jim Chanos, Kenneth Rogoff, Marc Faber, Midst, Misallocation, Professor Kenneth, Rickards, summit

“As I see it, it is the greatest bubble in history with the most massive misallocation of wealth,” Rickards said at the Asset Allocation Summit Asia 2010 organized by Terrapinn Pte in Hong Kong yesterday. China “is a bubble waiting to burst.”
Rickards joins hedge fund manager Jim Chanos, Gloom, Boom & Doom publisher Marc Faber [...]

‘Forget about a third intifada… this is war’

Posted by Matt in March 16th, 2010 | no comment

Published in Israel, Amud, Boom, Dome Of The Rock, East Jerusalem, Golden Dome, Intifada, Jerusalem Neighborhood, Narrow Alleyways, Police Helicopter, Police Officers, Ras, Riot Gear, Rush, Stun Grenade, Traffic Circle, Trash Bins

“All of Jerusalem is on fire today,” said M. on Tuesday, as he gazed out over the golden Dome of the Rock from a traffic circle atop the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Ras al-Amud.
Smoke was rising from trash bins that had been set alight inside the neighborhood’s narrow alleyways and a police helicopter that had [...]

Financial Crisis Round Two: Batten down the hatches, the waters are still treacherous

Posted by Matt in March 14th, 2010 | no comment

Published in Financial, Batten Down The Hatches, Boom, Crash, Elements, Front Page, Global Financial Crisis, Nature, Normalcy, Signals

The ominous word ”boom” appeared last week, in large type, on the front page of the local newspaper. Given the nature of this paper, the word could only refer to one thing: property. While the signals from the property market are mixed, it appears we are springing back to normalcy without absorbing the reality: the [...]

China invades Perth, Australia

Posted by Matt in February 16th, 2010 | no comment

Published in Australia, China, 1 Billion, Average Income, Boom, China, Cranes, Highways, Indoor Entertainment, Iron Ore, Median Price, Mineral Wealth, Natural Gas, New Construction, Perth Australia, Skyline, Skyscrapers, Sports, Unemployment Rate, Western Australia

No city better illustrates the China boom than Perth, the capital of Western Australia, a state five times as big as Texas that holds the bulk of Australia’s mineral wealth. The state’s average income has jumped $10,000 in five years to more than $70,000, thanks to China’s purchases of iron ore, natural gas and other [...]

China’s Economy: Something Is Not Right in Beijing

Posted by Matt in January 25th, 2010 | no comment

Published in China, beijing, Boom, Bust, China Economy, China S Economy, Chinese Economy, Japan, Liquidity, Rough Patch, Ssb

It is certainly true that China’s experience will not be the same as Japan’s 20 years ago or America’s last year, especially since official data are altered for political reasons. Nonetheless, a bust always follows a liquidity-driven boom. The SSB’s reports will remain happy, but the Chinese economy is headed for a rough patch, this [...]

World Economic Forum: Seeing Light Through the Gloom in Davos – World Economic Forum: Davos 2010 – TIME

Posted by Matt in January 22nd, 2010 | no comment

Published in Economy, Forecasts, 2000s, Boom, Charles Roxburgh, Debt Overhang, Downturn, Drag On, Economic Terms, Excess Capacity, Expand 2, Forum Davos, Gdp, Gdp Growth, Global Economy, Gloom, Mckinsey Global Institute, Seven Years, Snapshot, Unemployment Crisis, World Bank, World Economic Forum

In strictly economic terms, it’s not hard to display a snapshot of where things stand now. After declining an estimated 2.2% in 2009, the global economy is projected to expand 2.7% in 2010, according to the World Bank. But recovery is fragile. Excess capacity continues to dampen expectations of growth, and the unemployment crisis in [...]

Crisis expert says China’s boom to end soon – MarketWatch

Posted by Matt in January 16th, 2010 | no comment

Published in China, Author Richard, Boom, China Economy, China Factory, Economist, Expert, Global Financial Crisis, Global Growth, Little Hope, Quarter Century, Rapid Growth, Richard Duncan, Slowdown, World Economy

After more than a quarter century of rapid growth, China’s factory-to-the-world economy could now be set for a major slowdown, even as it tries to spend its way to strength, according to an expert on the causes of the global financial crisis.
Noted economist and author Richard Duncan said that, faced with sluggish global growth and [...]

Anarchy in the China | Foreign Policy

Posted by Matt in January 16th, 2010 | no comment

Published in China, Anarchy, Boom, Foreign Policy, Freeways, Niederhauser, Photographer, Prc, Rockers, Tight Leather Pants, Tight Pants, Tour China, Underground Music Scene

Overnight megacities, packed freeways, smoggy skies, and angsty rockers in tight leather pants. Photographer Matthew Niederhauser documents the other side of China’s urban boom.
Anarchy in the PRC: A tour of China’s emerging underground music scene | Foreign Policy

Bolivia: The Saudi Arabia of Lithium | Foreign Policy

Posted by Matt in December 12th, 2009 | no comment

Published in Americas, Batteries, Bolivia, Boom, Cell Phones, Field Of Dreams, Foreign Policy, Global Demand, Hybrid Cars, Laptops, Lightweight Metal, Lithium, Poorest Country, Saudi-Arabia, South-America, Uyuni Salt Flats

What the global battery boom means for the future of South America’s poorest country.
Field of dreams: The global demand for lithium, the lightweight metal used to make high-powered batteries for cell phones, laptops, and hybrid cars, is expected to triple in the next 15 years. Fifty to 70 percent of the world’s supply of this [...]

Dubai Debt: Global Economic Recovery Still in Danger – TIME

Posted by Matt in November 30th, 2009 | no comment

Published in Dubai, Economy, Boom, Danger Time, Dominique Strauss Kahn, Economic Recovery, Excess Capacity, Global Economy, Global Issue, International Monetary Fund, Late November, Managing Director, New Menu, No Doubt, Policy Challenges, Recession, Slew, Stimulus, surprises, Uncertainty, Unemployment, Unresolved Problems

The worst of the crisis is almost certainly behind us, but that doesn’t mean the crisis is over. Lying ahead are a slew of unresolved problems, policy challenges and, no doubt, further surprises. Unemployment remains a serious global issue, and may yet get worse; excess capacity left over from the boom years haunts the recovery; [...]