Semiconductor manufacturing is one of the highly technical and complex process in the world. Very few nations have the capability to make them. In fact, according to a report by Matrade agency of the Malaysian government, just 11 countries manufacture them. Out of these 6 of them are Asian countries as shown in the graphic below with Malaysia being one of them.
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Source: Matrade
It is not surprising that China is one of the major semiconductor makers.
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The Australian stock market as measured by the The ASX All Ords index has returned 13% per year for the duration from 1900 to 2023 according to the updated chart from ASX. This return indicates total return which includes dividends reinvested. Of course, no investor invests for such a long term. However the key point to remember from such charts is the importance of investing for the long-term which can mean different time for investors depending on their risk tolerance. It can be as low as 5 years to a few decades.
Australian stocks have generated positive returns in 100 of the 124 years as shown in the chart below. To put it another way that is 81% of the time from 1900 to 2023.
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Source: ASX via Why I’m a perma-bull on stocks by James Gruber, Firstlinks
James also noted another fascinating fact in the above article. If an investor holds stocks for seven years or longer, the chances of earning a positive return in Australia and other global markets is nearly 100%.
The following table shows the Annual Total Returns of Australian Stock Market from 1900 to 2023:
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Source: Market Index
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Disclosure: No positions
Cigarette Taxes in Europe are high and vary widely across countries. In fact, smokers pay more in taxes than on the cigarettes themselves. The EU requires member states to charge a minimum excise tax which is a fixed amount per pack of on cigarettes and other tobacco products. In addition EU countries add an additional percentage of the sales price which raises the prices more.
The highest taxes are in the developed EU countries while the lowest are in the East European countries of the EU. The following chart from the Tax Foundation shows the variance of cigarette taxes in Europe:
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Source: Tax Foundation
For the full data of tax rates on all the countries click on the above link.