Investor Mark Mobius said he expects emerging markets to surpass previous records, predicting a continued rally with “corrections along the way.”Mobius Says Emerging Markets Will Beat Previous Highs

Morgan Stanley Asia chairman Stephen Roach argues that the only way to put Asian growth models on a sustainable footing is to introduce social safety nets.Chinese welfare reform key to stability, says Roach

Conditions are ripe for a six-month bull run, but investors need quality to avoid a slip-up in 2010, says Tom Becket, of PSigma, in his monthly view…This bull can run, but invest in quality

“I’d rather have socialism than this brand of vicious capitalism (in the United States),” declares Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of The New York Times bestseller, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable. In a talk at the annual dinner of the Asia Society last night in Hong Kong, Taleb, who is known for his controversial views, did not disappoint as he criticized the response of the US government to the global crisis.‘I’d rather have socialism.’

A continued fall in Sweden’s industrial production and new orders indicates a slow recovery of the economy.Fall in Swedish industry hampers recovery

Latvian crisis-plan heavy blow to Swedish banks Latvia’s plan to limit what banks in the Baltic state can collect from mortgage-holders may be a heavy blow to Swedish banks.

Throughout the global crisis, China defied recessionary pressures and continued to grow. Although the pace cooled from double-digit rates, many forecasters now predict that China may be the first major economy to recover. Even if it does rebound in the last half of 2009, spurred by the government’s $586 billion stimulus package, the storm is far from over. Consumer products makers and retailers are confronting a more complex and brutally competitive landscape. Growth in a Slower-Growth China

Two reports released today indicate the Toronto housing market remains strong, with housing starts up 25 per cent, but low supply is leading to bidding wars.Toronto housing market stays hot

Gold stocks watchlist as bullion roars to dollar record
But listed gold equities remain well below levels seen in early 2008, and conservative analysts see a weak dollar as gold’s booster, for now.