Germany’s Export Boom Has Trade Partners Stewing
Chinese banks pass extreme loan default stress test
First 3 German banks pass stress tests-sources
BofA reclaims top spot, ICBC leads profit: study
CP, CN railways to get boost from economic recovery
Why China’s revaluation can’t solve America’s problems
What East Asia-Pacific countries have to teach the world
Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
I came across this interesting graph that shows the different phases of a bubble:
Source Video: http://www.youtube.com/user/ancientsong#p/u/18/PHo1bqIp71E
On a related note, Bloomberg BusinessWeek published an article on the real estate bubble in Vancouver, Canada.
Click to Enlarge
From the article:
“The Olympics are over, and the Village is for sale. The complex in Vancouver, British Columbia, that housed the athletes during the 2010 Winter Olympics has been converted into 1,100 luxury condos. About 450 have been pre-sold, and the sales of the remainder may well render a verdict on a mystery that looms over this city like Grouse Mountain: Did Canada prudently steer its way clear of the worst of the financial crisis only to be rewarded with a massive housing bubble of its own?
On a bright, warm Saturday in late June, couples and families wandered through the empty village, which has been renamed Millenium Water. It opened for public tours last month and draws about 100 people a day. Millenium Water is a city of the future, built with enviro-touches like green roofs and automatic shades that moderate the temperature inside the apartments. An 815-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment is on sale for C$879,000, which works out to C$1,078 per square foot, or $12 higher than the average price in Manhattan, according to The Corcoran Report. (A Canadian dollar is currently worth about U.S. 96 cents.)
Millenium Water isn’t in downtown Manhattan, of course. It’s not even in downtown Vancouver, which is across an inlet known as False Creek. It isn’t really even in a neighborhood; the nearest establishment is the sales office for another condo development. If all this is starting to sound a little irrationally exuberant, especially given the shaky international outlook, well, that’s Vancouver for you.”
The Vancouver real estate market is currently in the Mania Phase. It is not just Vancouver where prices have reached the bubble stage. Across Canada home prices have soared and continue to defy gravity. It remains to be seen how long the mania phase can last in Canada.
Some investors have the misconception that Brazil is a commodity-based economy. However this is not true. Though natural resources form a major portion of the economy, the manufacturing sector is growing rapidly.
The chart below shows the different types of products that are exported from the country:
Click to Enlarge
Manufactured goods such as planes, cars, vehicle components, etc. accounted for about 45% of all exports for the 12 months thru March this year. Primary products which include minerals, food products such as coffee, soy, meat, etc. amounted to about 42% of exports. Semi-manufactured products include raw sugar cane, wood chemical moisture, etc.
Brazil has also increased its exports to China, Asia (excl. Middle East and China), other countries and has reduced its exports to the U.S. and EU. Exports of Brazilian products to China has more than doubled when compared to 2006. As the economies of the EU and U.S. remain sluggish, Brazil’s increasing dependence on emerging markets for exports will benefit the country as there is potential for more growth in these markets.
Source:Â Banco Central Do Brasil
The US housing horror story is about to get even worse
In graphics: Eurozone in crisis
Nobel Economist Krugman Slams German Austerity
Double-dip recession unlikely, Europe worries overblown: Economist
Ten Signs There’s No Adult in This Economic Room: William PesekÂ
High-Quality Stocks Poised for Gains
Carrigan: BP may be cheap, but investors should beware
‘Fig leaf’ reform bill let’s US banks off lightly
Falling through the safety net
Rocky Mountains, Canada
The S&P Global Agribusiness Index is composed of 24 of the largest publicly-traded global agribusiness companies. The companies in this index include a diversified mix of Producers, Distributors & Processors and Equipment & Materials Suppliers in this sector.
The Top 10 Constituents of this index are:
1. Archer-Daniels-Midland Co (ADM )
Current Dividend Yield: 2.21%
USA
2. Potash Corp. (POT)
Current Dividend Yield:Â 0.41%
Canada
3. Wilmar International(OTC: WILMY)
Current Dividend Yield:Â 1.63%
Singapore
4. Monsanto Co(MON)
Current Dividend Yield: 2.12%
USA
5. Associated British Foods (OTC: ASBFY)
Current Dividend Yield: 3.03%
U.K.
6. BRF – Brasil Foods SA (BRFS)
Current Dividend Yield: N/A
Brazil
7. Deere & Co(DE)
Current Dividend Yield: 1.99%
USA
8. Syngenta AG(SYT)
Current Dividend Yield: 2.27%
Switzerland
9. Mosaic Co(MOS)
Current Dividend Yield: 0.46%
USA
10. Bunge Ltd(BG)
Current Dividend Yield: 1.59%
USA