November 2005 Archives

By Daisy Ku

HONG KONG, Nov 16 (Reuters) - A relaunch of Hong Kong's $2.8 billion IPO for the Link REIT is expected to be at least 10 times oversubscribed, with institutional investors particularly keen, brokers and market sources said on Wednesday.

The government's second attempt to sell 151 shopping centres and 79,000 car parks through the world's biggest IPO of a real estate investment trust (REIT) has seen its institutional book 13 times covered as of midday on Wednesday, market sources said.

NEW YORK, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- A new, easy-to-read financial guide, Standard & Poor's Guide to Money & Investing (Lightbulb Press; November; Paperback: $15.95) was released today. A collaboration between Lightbulb Press, a well-known content provider of financial and investor education, and Standard & Poor's, the leading provider of equity research and ratings, the guide demystifies the world of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, futures and options, and alternative investment products like hedge funds and REITs.

By Annemarie Franczyk -

Baby boomers need to do more investing, and not just in savings accounts.

Just as a sound pattern of savings will make retirement more comfortable, so will a plan to develop good health habits. Exercise is one of the cheapest and most effective strategies to fight the effects of aging.

Which one of you 77 million baby boomers across American thought it would come to this? 'Used to be that exercise meant looks, not health.

With economic storm clouds gathering, is it time to start thinking defensively? Alan Wood takes a look.

During a period when a terror attack is reported every week and economists are predicting a New Zealand, if not global, economic slowdown, it seems timely to readjust your investment portfolio.

While a slowdown, or worse a recession, would point investment punters toward safe defensive stocks – telecommunications, gas, electricity and infrastructure – it is not quite as simple as that. Such stocks are already fully valued, equity research experts say.

By John Gapper -

BEING chief economist of the ministry of railways seems to be a livelier job in China than elsewhere. Instead of sitting behind a desk writing dry reports, you meet foreign bankers and investors and try to lure them into investing billions of dollars in your national rail network.

Huang Min is the lucky man. Sitting in the ministry in Beijing late last month, listening to him explain its plan to open up its railways to investors, I experienced the usual feeling of awe at China's economic development. Seven new passenger lines, 25,000km of new track, $250bn of investment over 15 years. A railway here, a railway there and pretty soon you are talking real money.

Asia drives rally; platinum at 26-year high; palladium hits a 17-month mark, gold and silver follow.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York platinum futures stormed to a new 26-year high Thursday morning on the third day of speculative and trade buying, while palladium hit a 17-month peak and gold and silver reached 10-day highs.

Dealers said the broad rally in the precious metals was fueled by buying in Asia this week, which spilled over to European and New York sessions amid expectations that growing commercial demand for platinum group metals would keep prices climbing.

Leeward Offshore Canadian Income Fund has launched the Leeward Offshore Income Trust Fund, which will invest solely in Canadian income trusts.

Leeward Hedge Funds Inc (Leeward) has been appointed investment advisor to the new fund, the sixth for which Leeward provides investment advisory services.

The Cayman Islands registered fund will utilize leverage and its objective is to maintain stable, semi-annual cash distributions with capital appreciation.

The liberalisation of foreign exchange and de-pegging of the ringgit have widened investment options for local investors with an appetite for overseas investments, said Alan Inn, head of investment and product development of CIMB Private Banking.

“Having offshore investment is an effective way to diversify and enhance your portfolio’s return because investors no longer have to suffer from the lack of investment opportunities.

By Mo Buglow -

The increasing popularity in offshore investing is largely due to the Internet, which removes geographic restrictions and allows individuals to research and reach their favoured financial institutions. An increase in the diversity of products and ownership techniques has further increased accessibility.

Offshore investing is normally far less regulated than onshore investing, resulting in more varied opportunities and greater potential returns, if often with a greater degree of risk. Depending on your circumstances, as an expatriate investing offshore, you may also benefit from taxation advantages.

By James Stevenson -

CALGARY (CP) -- With a dizzying list of multi-billion-dollar projects and their associated spin-offs of jobs, royalties and taxes, Canadians - and not just Albertans - are becoming quite familiar with the word “oilsands.”

But among the opportunities arising from the oily mud of northern Alberta is a growing roster of companies that enable investors to bet on this rapidly developing heavy oil sector.

The rising power of hedge funds and private equity investment, continued sharp competition among Wall Street firms, and growth in China and India are the key drivers of global finance today, according to industry leaders at a recent Wharton Finance Conference whose theme was From Wall Street to Beijing: Thriving in a Changing Environment.

India Capital Management Ltd which has a total AUM of US$200M is proud to announce that it has won the "Best Single Country Fund of the Year" at the 2005 AsiaHedge Awards for it's Fund, the India Capital Fund, presented last week on 20th October in Hong Kong. It was also nominated for the same award in 2003.

The AsiaHedge Awards are the longest established and most highly regarded awards that recognise the achievements of the Asian hedge fund industry. The Awards are based on a combination of NAV return, return versus benchmark and Sharp ratio, giving a risk-adjusted return criterion. The India Capital Fund came first out of the 5 other top nominated single country funds, covering regions such as China and Korea.

Investing in stocks is already uncertain enough--don’t compound it by betting on things over which you have no control. Instead, focus on what is sure and dependable in the stock market.

New York, New York (PRWEB) November 1, 2005 -- Despite what conventional wisdom tells you, investing is not like horse racing. It’s not simply a matter of finding the fastest horse out there and betting all your money on it.