Keith Fitz-Gerald is a Contributing Editor to Money Morning, as well as Investment Director of the Money Map Report and editor of the New China Trader. He is also a seasoned market analyst known for his accuracy, perspective and insight. He is also a former professional trader and licensed CTA advising institutions and qualified individuals, and he specializes in non-directional trading.
Mention Japan and many people think of Geisha, castles and samurai. Mention investing in Japan and the image of an impenetrable wall comes to mind. I’ve been extremely fortunate to have seen all of this firsthand – and not just once, but on a pretty consistent basis for the past two decades, when I’ve been here as a businessman, a resident, and – most recently – as a husband and a parent.
Right now, there’s more than $9.5 trillion in cash on the sidelines – or more than twice the amount of money currently invested in stock mutual funds, according to MoneyNet.inc and the U.S. Federal Reserve. Private equity firms alone are believed to hold as much as an additional $1.3 trillion.
The U.S. news media has convinced many investors that oil consumption is falling because of the global recession. While that may be true, it’s a disservice to millions of investors because production is declining at a pace that’s actually three times faster.
Institutional investors have talked a lot about the so-called “yen carry trade” over the past couple of years. But that’s really just been a warm-up act for a much bigger story. I’m talking about the “yuan carry trade.”
As deep as the U.S. auto industry’s financial crisis seems to be, there may actually be a fairly simple solution. Sell out to China. Nearly a decade ago, I warned that Detroit’s Big Three – General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) and Chrysler LLC – had better learn to speak Chinese if they wanted to survive.
MAOPING, People’s Republic of China – I’m often asked if there are investment risks in China. My answer: Absolutely… there are investment risks everywhere. But it’s how you evaluate and manage those risks that will ultimately determine how well you do in this highly promising market.
FENGDU, People’s Republic of China – Mainland China companies will soon be able to invest in Taiwan for the first time in 60 years, thanks to investment accords reached between the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF).
BEIJING, The People’s Republic of China – At a time when the rest of the global auto sales are experiencing their biggest declines in decades – and are set to drop at least 8% globally – the burgeoning China auto market may grow by 10% or more this year.
BEIJING, The People’s Republic of China – If there’s a recession here in China, I don’t see it. Granted, I just stepped off the plane here in Beijing a few hours ago, but already the city feels much more vibrant than I expected, given the dire reports that keep appearing in the mainstream Western financial-news media. The Beijing economy appears strong.