$ Australian Asx Stock Market Watch

Healthscope on possible 2.7 Biilion takeover by TPG and carlyle

2010-07-21T04:45:00.001-07:00

With 44 private hospitals spread throughout every Australian state and territory, Healthscope is the country’s second largest private healthcare provider behind Ramsay Health.

The big private hospital operator Healthscope has squeezed out of its two suitors, TPG and Carlyle, the biggest private equity takeover in more than four years. Healthscope announced yesterday that after an exhaustive three-month process it would recommend that shareholders accept a $6.26 a share cash offer worth $2.7 billion from the pair, representing a 16 per cent premium on the closing price of $5.40 on Friday.

John Durie: "The Healthscope deal makes more sense from the perspective of a private equity manager with the need to spend money than it does from a value perspective... It is the need for private equity managers to invest money at seemingly any cost to maximise their own fee earnings."

Healthscope- About

Healthscope is a leading private health care provider within Australia that uniquely operates in every State and Territory, as well as in Asia. Our reach of facilities around the country firmly places Healthscope as the second largest private hospital provider operating 44 private hospitals. The company includes a leadingpathology business with facilities in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia; a growing medical centres division with over 45 clinics; and a diagnostic imaging division centred in major hospitals
www.healthscope.com.au

Texas Pacific Group (TPG) and the Carlyle Group are two of the world’s largest private equity firms, together managing over $US135 billion in equity capital. This is the largest private equity takeover of a publicly listed company in nearly four years

The takeover bid, pitched at $1.99 billion plus debt of $700 million, puts an enterprise value of $2.7 billion on Healthscope and is equivalent to a forward enterprise value/EBITDA multiple of roughly 10 times.

Top 10 property hotspots WA australia

2010-06-27T20:07:00.001-07:00

Terry Ryder, of hotspotting.com.au, has released his annual list of WA's top "hotspots" - suburbs and towns where there is potential for good capital growth or better-than-average rental yields. While the locations are little changed from last year, the reasons for buying have.

Below top ten “Property hotspots” list has been compiled by Terry ryder of Hotspotting.com.au

Top 10 property hotspots (source: Terry Ryder)

Albany: Lifestyle features, government decisions, urban renewal

Broome: Lifestyle features, boom town, government decisions

Bunbury: Transport infrastructure, boom town, lifestyle features

Geraldton: Boom town, government decisions, transport infrastructure

Joondalup: Government decisions, lifestyle features, transport infrastructure
Karratha: Boom town, government decisions, lifestyle features

Merredin: Boom town, government decisions
Port Hedland: Boom town, government decisions

Rockingham: Ugly ducklings, government decisions, transport infrastructure, lifestyle features
Waroona: Boom town, transport infrastructure

Julia gillards new Australian prime minister appointed by stealth and swiftness

2010-06-24T05:12:00.001-07:00

Little did kevin Rudd know what hit him when his own party members did the quickie on him.Voters all over Australia are in shock and dismay as Julia Gillard and her supporters betrayed their own leader to push him out of his seat and take it over.

Kevin Rudd sys Bye bye As juli gillard steps in

AN emotional Kevin Rudd says he is proud of his achievements as Australia's Prime Minister in a press conference this morning. The former Prime Minister was close to tears as he made his parting address after standing down for Julia Gillard this morning.

Julia gillard new Australian prime minister made commitments not to move into the Prime ministers Lodge, and stay in her house in Altona and flat in Canberra until she actually faces an election .The new Prime Minister looked equally assured in her first question time (Kevin Rudd bravely attended). When accused of stabbing her former Prime Minister in the back by Opposition deputy leader Julie Bishop she replied that Julie should focus on serving her third leader. Touche.

Comments from the australian People on the Prime Minister seat grabbing fiasco

Worried for Australia Posted at 1:46 PM Today

As a woman i am extremely embarrassed that Julia Gillard is the firs to "represent" a female PM in Australia. She is inarticulate, wants to destroy our educations system, is a socialist and a puppet to the ALP voter but will give credit where its due). I was not happy with his spending BUT acknowledge he didn't have a lot of scope with the GFC. He did start to bring reconciliation to our nation by saying Sorry to the stolen generation, Australia did not fall in the GFC and if people bother to do research and not just read one or two lines of a media article, the mining tax is a damn good idea. Now we have Julia Gillard as PM....Oh dear Lord we are in trouble! Next election ALP is gone... till everyone forgets and "wants a change again"

Australian business report PM Today

A few days ago Abbott was rubbing his hands in glee. Only 3 days ago Australian Story on ABC featured - guess who? Julia Gillard of course. Now Gillard is sending pacifying messages to the Mining Companies. I just wonder whether this was a carefully orchestrated move by those who want to avoid the Super Tax. Gillard watch out!

Sonny will miss KRUDD of Sydney Posted at 1:48 PM Today

I agree with Tanya #50 We are doomed if liberal win. We only have those ridiculous polls to blame. 1000 peoples opinion and untold media coverage of how the polls rate. Remember millions voted for KRUDD and 1000 people in polls got rid of him. ACnielsen's fault, not KRUDD or anything hes done. Mining Tax will go through regardless, IMF has OK'd it, and its required.

Cathy of Perth ( GOOGLE AUSTRALIA BLOG )Posted at 1:49 PM Today

typical austalia, knock down the tall poppies!! Whilst Kevin certainly had his share of blunders, he owned them and all in all has done a great job for Australia under extremely difficult circumstances. I wish Julia all the best because if Abbott gets in we are screwed, unless of course you are a business owner or RICH!!

Michael Davies of Melbourne Posted at 1:54 PM Today

Seriously ppl, some of you should hold your head in shame. Fine the insulation scheme ended up being aboused and caused fires, but WHY are you blaming the government? Did u want Kevin Rudd up inside every house checking every sheet laid down? When will you all wake up and start to blame the bloody installers of this thing, the real ones who ripped everyone off and caused deaths!! Building evolution - also a great idea, but yet again ripped off by gready contractors. Not Kevin Rudd , but the contractors. The so called everyday people earning a living! Yeah right. Ripping the government off seems to be a fair deal for some of you people. ETS - Was tried to pass through 3 times - the other side wouldnt let it pass. When they were trying to bring it in, everyones "oh no we cant have that, that will cost us money" As soon as he puts it on hold due to it not getting through everyones "oh how slack for not doing it" Wake up to yourselves!!! Kevin, even though you did do some stupid things, and some arrogant things, you were a great Prime Minister. The people of Australia have had it to easy for too long and expect to much. Congratulations and good luck for your future.

Links:

How to Handle Backstabbers at Work

How to Deal With Backstabbers - wikiHow

About julia gillard – who is julia Gillard ?

Julia Gillard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is the 27th Prime Minister of Australia. She is the first female prime minister in Australia's history. ...

Early life - Political provenance - Opposition Member

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Gillard

Copper Aluminum and Iron ore to push upwards 2010 to 2013 – commodity markets

2010-05-31T04:36:00.001-07:00

''Over the next 15 years we expect consumption trends to lead to a doubling in demand for iron ore, aluminum and copper. We also expect substantial increased demand for energy. These trends will require a significant response from producers,'' Albanese said.

The shine is on on copper , iron ore and aluminum – Commodity markes

The Rio tinto media release said '”Let me put this in perspective. By 2030 the additional supply required will be equivalent to replicating the iron ore output of the Pilbara region of Australia every five years, adding another aluminium production complex the size of Canada's Saguenay every nine months, and developing another copper mine the size of Escondida in Chile each year. Future energy requirements are such that an entire Hunter Valley coal supply chain needs to be created each year plus a uranium mine the size of Ranger every four years.'' It is staggering stuff.

The price of copper was just $2.33/lb last year but now is being forecast to rise to $3.31, according to a revised consensus by analysts.

The metals and mining sector and commodity markets is presenting opportunity this year, and analysts are eyeing this positive trend for investors in shares and exchange traded funds (ETFs). There is big-time potential of the group's Mumbwa iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) exploration joint venture in Zambia with BHP Billiton. BHP is earning a 60 per cent interest in the ground by operating and funding an exploration program that has just kicked off.
Other industrial metals also are expected to increase in price: Aluminium now is projected to average 97¢/lb this year, up from 75¢ in 2009; zinc is projected at $1.03/lb, up from 75¢; lead is seen at $1.04/lb, up from 78¢; nickel is forecast at $8.82., as compared with $6.64 in 2009, and tin is seen at $7.40/lb, up from $6.15 last year.
An analyst with HSBC recently noted what he sees are the top opportunities in the metals and mining sector and commodity markets. The Wall Street Transcript says that the places to go this year will likely be bulk commodities, such as iron ore, thermal coal and metallurgical. Copper and Aluminum is also a favorite to push upwards.

Crude Oil outlook – commodity markets

After rallying andsurging to a 2-week high at 75.72, crude oil price retreated more than -$1/bbl as US consumer confidence missed market expectations. The front-month WTI contract ended settled at 73.97, down -0.78%, on Friday. On weekly basis, the contract surged +5.61%, halting the severe selloff since May 3. In May, WTI futures slumped -14.1%.
Crude oil and product prices surged as OECD revised up its economic forecasts for 2010 and 2011 and commodity markets. Rallies accelerated after release of the oil inventory report although the set of data was not exceptionally bullish. Indeed, recent price movements have been driven by macroeconomic and political issues, rather than fundamentals in the oil market.

Links:
Free Australian Finance Blogs with hosting

Technorati Tags: oil,crude,aluminum,copper,iron ore,gold,metals,metals outlook 2010,2011,commodity markets

Stock Market Year Ending Sale 2010

2010-05-20T00:36:00.001-07:00

Yes it is definitely looking like a bargain on some stocks and id definitely bringing on the mood of “the year ending sales” that happen during this period of the year.

The Australian stock market has been down for the past 2 weeks for various different factors like the Euro economies , Greece , The tax review in Australia , Super profits tax , and stock brokers taking in profits selling out parcels of shares before they head out for thier annual end of financial year holiday to some exotic location.

The big corporations and companies have brought their fight out in the open with the new super profit tax , by shelving projects and trying to get shareholders and company workers to oppose the Tax. Kevin Rudd does not look like he is step down on his tax stance and is ready for a fight. Watch this space as more unfolds.

Coming back to the market currently , i don't see no reason why the australian market has been getting the jitters and rightfully should be performing well given our strong economy and potential from growing economies like china and India.

Given that this is just short term downtrend in the market , it is full of bargains and the current blue chip stocks an penny hopefuls are definitely looking like bargains at a “Year ending sale” or “Financial year stock take sale”

Some stock picks that looks like bargains at the moment or looks like a “STOCK MARKET YEAR ENDING SALE”

Stocks given below can possibly dip a bit further down or then just rise from here onwards .. but then its all up to timing the market “ which no one can do or guarantee, but these stocks are already looking good at the current prices today , so if you can get it cheaper,.Good luck to you.

Blue chips:

as of May 20 , 2010

BHP Billiton ( BHP ) $36.46 Today

ANZ BANK ( ANZ) $20.63 Today

Atlas iron ( AGO) $1.86 Today

NAB BANK ( NAB) $23.25 Today

RIO TINTO ( RIO) $62.10 Today

Leighton Holdings (LEI) $31.65 Today

FORTESCUE Metal group (FMG) $ 3.53 Today

Penny Hopefuls Today :

Macmohan ( MAH ) $0.51

Whitehaven Coal ( WHC) $4.36

Blue Energy (BUL) $0.175

Golden Gate petroleum (GGP)$0.025

Coppermoly ( COY) $0.093

Hill End gold ( HEG) $0.130

Austex oil Ltd ( AOK ) $0.135

The Australian Federal budget 2010

2010-05-12T16:43:00.001-07:00

Budget 2010 at a glance

Tax Benefits

50% Tax discount for first $1000 of investment income.
Tax relief for foreign investors in managed funds
Lodging your tax returns to become easier and everybody to get default $500 to $1000 in deductions in a phased ( 2012 – 2013 ) manner

Government Spending ( business)

$5.6 bn infrastructure fund spending over for ten years
$1,bn for all freight projects which will benefit the mining sector
National network of primary care services.
$661 spending for training for apprenticeships , training ,adult literacy and numeracy programs

http://www.australianstockwatch.com/2008/01/penny-hopefuls-2008-micro-caps.html
Penny Stocks 2010

Australia’sworst stock market week ever and Greece problems

2010-05-08T16:22:00.001-07:00

Greece problems + Australian super tax + Down Jones rocks the boat

Australia released the Henry tax review reform last week which pretty much the whole business community was waiting for with bated breath last week. The implementation of the super tax on miners from the Henry tax review brought down the mining shares with a vengeance in the Australian markets , and the falling Dow Jones didn't help either. To put more momentum to this bad news the Greece stock market epidemic which was the flow on from the US GFC some years ago and spooked by the US markets crisis is still spooking other countries like UK , Portugal , Spain and other euro zone countries which are in very bad debt shape and continuing to grow worse.

US markets and Nikkie Japan Stock markets

It is ironic that the us markets that started this all has actually been performing an rising pretty well in the last couple of months. One market that has also been gradually rising and performing well after the GFC is the Nikkei ( Japan stock market) and we can certainly take some relief from that , it being one of the major economic players in the global markets.

This is how the Australian stock market looked this week

The Super Mining tax ( which is considered a a double mining tax by the big miners in Australia) was the report that started the freefall in the Aus biz markets this week. Check out the Henry Review tax reform 2010 documents and details here on this blog for details on this mining super tax.

Whats up Mr.Henry ?

2010-04-28T05:00:00.001-07:00

well by the looks of it , there will be a lot much going on , once the Henry tax review is released and more importantly the changes that will flow on from there on. When i look above at this post title ‘Whats up Mr henry ? , it reminds me of this song “sorry Ms jackson – By outcast”

Here comes the Henry tax review

Here are the lyrics ( not)

I'm sorry Ms. Financial advisers [OOOH]
I am for real
Never meant to make your Lot cry cry
I apologize (not )a trillion times ( kevid rudd is backing me Up)
I'm sorry Mssrs. Property Investors [OOOH]
I am for real
Never meant to make your bank account dry
I apologize a trillion times

well that sums up what many are expecting from it , harsher laws on property investors and tighter rules on financial advisers and firms. Small business owners are hoping the Henry tax review will slash and simplify business taxes. Speculation is growing in the media the Australian government will look to lift taxes on the mining sector as a result of the Henry Review of the national tax system.

Dr Ken Henry has made it plain he thinks stamp duty is an odious tax that should be done away with - downright unfair and inequitable.

On superannuation, where the present concessional taxing arrangement greatly favours those on higher marginal tax rates (that is, those who already have the greatest capacity to save), the report is likely to recommend arrangements that redirect more of the tax benefit to those on lower marginal rates.

The report will also possibly recommend reform of state taxes. It may propose that steps be taken to harmonise the tax bases (including tax-free thresholds and exemptions) and possibly rates between the states.

It may recommend the removal of stamp duty on insurance policies but it won't recommend removal of stamp duty on conveyancing for as long as the family home is exempt from capital gains tax.

Australia's Future Tax System Review Pane ( The Henry tax reform review)

Federal Treasurer, Wayne Swan. Says “The Henry review tax system was likely to help frame federal budgets over the course of a decade and would be offering no quick fix”. The Government has said it will consider the review and release it in early 2010, along with an initial response.

Since being established in 2008, the Panel provided many opportunities for people to make a submission and engaged with the community through public meetings and focus groups, meetings with representative business and community groups, discussions with other government departments and agencies, and through its tax-transfer policy conference held in June 2009. Around 1,500 formal submissions were received, canvassing a wide-range of issues of concern to the community – an extremely rich source of information which helped the Panel shape its recommendations

So what comes from this refom we will just have to wait and watch ?

So who is Henry or more specifically Dr.Ken henry ?

Dr henry is the main architect of this Henry tax reform review report of which many of the suggested reforms might get implemented. The Treasury secretary's report will lay out a blueprint for the direction of reform over the next 25 years, to act as a guide to governments in their day-to-day decision-making. The big major report before this one in Australia was the “Asprey report of 1975”. He has been in the tax reform business for a long time” – he was a central player in most of the big tax policy shifts of the past 25 years, and has unparalleled expertise in the area.

Dr Henry was born in Taree NSW on 27 November 1957. He completed a first class honours degree in economics at the University of NSW in 1979. . In September 1984 he returned to Australia, accepting a position in Treasury’s Taxation Policy Division.

On 27 April 2001, Dr Henry was appointed Secretary to the Treasury. Dr Henry was reappointed for a further 5 years from 27 April 2006. He is an ex-officio member of the Board of Taxation, member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Alternate Governor (for Australia) of the International Monetary Fund and Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Australian Office of Financial Management. Dr Henry was awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia General Division (AC) in the Australia Day Honours 2007.

Related Links:

http://taxreview.treasury.gov.au/Content/Content.aspx?doc=html/home.htm

http://www.treasury.gov.au/content/secretary.asp?ContentID=346&titl=Secretary%20to%20the%20Treasury

Currency markets says its getting riskier

Insurance sector heats up in Australia with Kmart entering the fray

Google china , Stern Hu and a bad taste in your mouth

The end of reporting season

Is the laggard Anz Going to steal the march on the Big 3 Banks

Companies hitting 52 week high

2010-04-27T05:52:00.001-07:00

Centro Retail Group (CNP)

Centro Properties Group

Latest Share Prices -. 27 Apr 2010 (20 min delay). CNP: $0.260 ... Centro Properties Group(Centro) is a retail investment organisation specialising in the ...
www.centro.com.au/

Centro Properties Group (CNP) is a public company engaged in the operations of the Centro Property Trust and other entities of the company which are engaged in property management, property investment, funds management and property development. CNP was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange on the 14th of August, 1997.

Shopping Centre Directory

Share Price Information

Careers

Announcements & Releases

Board & Management

About Centro

Direct Property Funds

Charter Hall Group (CHC)

Charter Hall

Charter Hall Group is a specialist property funds management and development company, based in Sydney with offices in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, ...
www.charterhall.com.au/ -

Company Overview

CHC is an integrated property group operating across property funds management, development, property investment banking, property management and property investment. CHC has over $10B in assets under management post the acquisition of management rights on a number of ex-Macquarie managed funds.

Company History

The Charter Hall Group is a property funds management and development group. Listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) as a stapled security in June 2005, the Charter Hall Group combines Charter Hall Limited with the Charter Hall Property Trust. Since its establishment in 1991, Charter Hall has established a very successful track record in property funds management and property development.

About Us

Funds Management

130 Stirling Street Trust launch

Board of Directors

Goodman Group (GMG)

GOODMAN GROUP (GMG) - ASX Listed Company Information Fact Sheet

GOODMAN GROUP (GMG). International, integrated industrial property development and services businesses. On this page you will find: ...
203.15.147.66/asx/research/companyInfo.do?by=asxCode...gmg

Company Name:
Goodman Group

Stock Code:
GMG

Website:

www.goodmanintl.com

Market Cap ($M):
4,950

Equiv. Shares (M):
6,875

Currency markets says its getting riskier

2010-04-09T16:40:00.001-07:00

The Australian dollar is at its highest for more than decade against the euro and getting higher against the pound. What does this tell us about the situation in Europe and the impact that this is likely to have on the Australian share market?

Mounting expectations that China may soon revalue the yuan and growing evidence that the world economy is healing well also bolstered Asia currencies and stocks, which held near 22-month highs [ID:nSGE6370B2] [MARKETS/AS].
The Australian dollar was firm at $0.9271 , little changed from levels seen here late Thursday, but up 1 percent for the week. In trade-weighted terms <=AUD>, it is at 20-month highs.</AUD=D4>

Australian Currency markets

Risk and uncertainty in the share market is on the rise. One place in which we can see this unfolding is through the currency markets. The euro is at an all-time low and you it has seen a dramatic fall against the Aussie dollar in the past year. This shows the uncertainty in the euro zone at the moment. Watch for a reversal in this trend to demonstrate that perhaps the tide has turned.

One of the best ways to get an idea where the market is heading is to examine the relationship between the Australian dollar versus the US dollar or Japanese yen. When there is uncertainty, investors and traders tend to move towards safer markets. In the currency markets, the US dollar and Japanese yen are considered safe havens.

While this may seem strange with both Japan and the US experiencing weak economies, when it comes to currency trades, people tend to get back into these traditional safe haven currencies when things turn bad.

"A weaker U.S. dollar against the yuan would increase the purchasing power of Chinese incomes and stimulate domestic spending," said Joseph Capurso, an analyst at Commonwealth Bank.Some investors may worry a stronger yuan is akin to a tighter Chinese monetary policy, which may dampen China's growth.

why the australian dollar is seen as risky ?

The Australian dollar is seen as a risky currency despite our strong economy and growth profile, that's because our currency is seen as tied to the global demand from commodities , which can be seen as a risk , because what happens if the commodity boom is suddenly not there. So some of the perception around safe havens comes from the role of the US dollar and Japanese yen as a cheap funding currency.When things start looking bad, people start buying back the US dollar and selling the Aussie dollar.

For basic currency trading or if you are starting currency trading Currency trading For Dummies is a good read to get a feel of the market and beginner strategy in trading
Links:
Australian FOREX Daily Outlook 07/04/2010
Australian FOREX Weekly Outlook 29/03/2010

Insurance sector heats up in Australia with Kmart entering the fray

2010-03-30T04:15:00.001-07:00

Insurance is something that every person needs . Fear , security and risk buoys the insurance industry and yes The insurance companies are making millions by the day ,not to say there are also losing millions by the day ( as can be witnessed by the recent perth freak storms) . But on the whole the Insurance companies have definitely big fat wallets and now Kmart Wants a piece of the pie.

Kmart vying for the insurance $$

Kmart Australia yesterday started signing up its first few customers for insurance. kmart with its reach all over australia with its many stores is definitely well positioned to tap the vast insurance sector ( specially given that they also have the Kmart auto chain which is Auto related , it might just make getting car insurance much easier)

KMART HAS 251 Auto and tyre stores in Australia

Hardly has Kmart entered the Insurance market , when there are rumors that QBE is planning to enter the Car and Home Insurance sector. Car insurance is a big piece of the pie in the Auto insurance sector and there will be many companies local and overseas trying to get into the action. Merrill lynch reports state that the big insurers IAG and Suncorp get 25% of their profits from car insurance.

So not only Kmart and Coles are set to enter the Insurance sector but there are many other possible entrants lined up like AUSTRALIA POST , VIRGIN and US based Progressive.

Suddenly the competition is heating up in the insurance sector and there can be only 2 outcomes from this

1,More options for us the customers

2.Cheaper insurance ( hopefully )

Australian Stock Watch blog recent popular posts

Is the laggard Anz Going to steal the march on the Big 3 Banks

Is qantas really a good stock pick ?

Is potash the next big thing

World Top bankers secretly meet in Australia

China taking over USA

Google china , Stern Hu and a bad taste in your mouth

2010-03-23T04:53:00.001-07:00

Chinese cyber attacks on Google.cn and google pulling out of China

China has been in the lime light in recent times and not always for the right reasons. Recently china was in the lime light for being accused of cyber attacks coming from the country towards the google.com domain owned by Google and now more recently China has made it known that it wants google china to abide by its strict censorship laws and divulge information in relation to activists which google refuses to do unlike yahoo as it says in this article over here.

Image link :http://marketingplaybook.com/google%20vs%20baidu.JPG

Google threatened to leave the Chinese market completely this year after cyber attacks were traced back to China. China has hit back by cracking down on google advertisers and Chinese companies doing business with Google china and putting the pressure on them. China has moved to further limit free speech on the web - Google's own websites and the e-mail accounts of human rights activists recently came under cyber attack.
More recently in our own shores the mining community of Australia have not openly admitted it , but have definitely indirectly let it be known “the bitter taste that has been left in the mouth” after hearing the news of the stern hu trial. The Australian Companies do need the Chinese deals and will surely be doing more deals for their mutual benefit , but will be definitely be more cautious and wary while dealing with the Chinese companies after this incident.

Stern Hu Trial In china

STERN HU and other RIO TINTO colleagues were detained and arrested by Chinese officials soon after the billion dollar chinalco deal with RIO TINTO fell through.

Image by : http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2010/01/Stern-Hu415.jpg

The Chinese government has refused to give australian officials access and diplomatic support to stern Hu and his associates.

The first phase of the trial of Stern Hu and three other Rio Tinto executives has ended in Shanghai and the closed Chinese court system has become even more secretive.
For the first part concerning bribery allegations media weren't allowed in, but Australian consular officials were. Now for the section of the trial involving alleged industrial espionage even they have been barred.

The trial for this case was also restricted to the Chinese officials “ where it was announced that Stern HU has admitted to bribery”. The proceedings and circumstances prior to this announcement is not known at this stage.

Article by: Sheldon Singh - Independent blogger and writer

The end of reporting season

2010-03-09T03:15:00.001-08:00

So how was your reporting season ?

Australia has just finished its reporting season and the action is just picking up. judging from the reporting season we will possibly in for a helluva ride looking forward.

There was the minor hiccups affecting the global economy predictions like the Greece scare that is still fresh in our minds and alive and the impending doom of the UL economy gloom ( when is that bubble going to be pricked) .Irrespective of all this our reporting season saw very good results with the mining stocks poised to boom and the banks expanding into overseas economies ( CBA and ANZ poised to explore growth potential in india after acquiring their licenses) .

CommSec assessed 129 companies among the top 200 on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and found that 113, or 88 per cent, were profitable for the six months to December 31, 2009. Sixty-seven per cent reported improved earnings and 60 per cent lifted earnings per share.

Australia's December quarter GDP came in slightly stronger than expected, with growth of 0.9% in the quarter which, combined with upwards revisions to growth in the previous two quarters, resulted in growth over the year to the December quarter of 2.7%.

Rockers of reporting season:

Coca-Cola Amatil pleased with its annual figure.

Woolworths, AGL and Harvey Norman impressed

Dazzlers were the supposedly generously valued net stocks such as Realestate.com. Wotif, Carsales and Melbourne IT

Shockers of reporting season:

Toll Holdings, which shocked the market last Thursday when it missed expectations by almost 15 per cent

Timber-lopper Gunns slipped on ice with a 99 per cent profit decline

Qantas, and plumbing supplier Crane Group disappointed

Foster's Group lost its fizz

CommSec expects the SP/ASX 200 and the All Ordinaries indices to lift to 5,150 by mid-year and to 5,600 by the end of calendar 2010.

Recent earnings upgrades from big companies such as Commonwealth Bank and Qantas, as well as a strong fourth-quarter production report from miner Rio Tinto ahead of its full-year results in March, have added to the belief that the worst is behind us.

The AMP's chief economist, Dr Shane Oliver, says that as we approach the one year anniversary of the bear market low in shares (Australian shares bottomed on March 6, 2009 and US shares bottomed on March 9) things are vastly different; the economy is much stronger than expected and corporate profits are recovering solidly. Profits have now bottomed and with the economy picking up pace and costs well and truly under control profits are likely to rise by around 20% over the next year.

Australia's growth performance remains stellar compared to other advanced countries - Australia's growth of 2.7% through 2009 compares to just 0.1% growth in the US, a 0.4% contraction in Japan, and a 2.1% contraction in the euro-zone and a 3.3% contraction in the UK

In the United States, the current reporting season has seen about 80% of companies surprise on the upside. But don’t assume positive earnings will translate necessarily translate into a higher stock price.

Reporting season for Newbies

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Is potash the next big thing

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Best wishes for 2010 from Australian stock watch

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World trade falls by lowest 12 percent since economic crisis

2010-02-24T03:47:00.001-08:00

Director-General Pascal Lamy, in his report on the state of play in the Doha Round to the General Council on 22 February 2010, said that “although some progress is taking place, gaps remain”. He suggested that the stocktaking at the end of March be undertaken by senior officials, adding that “the Geneva process remains ready to translate political movement into concrete and substantive progress”.

WORLD TRADE WEAKENS

World trade fell by 12 percent last year as the economic crisis caused the biggest drop since 1945, giving new urgency to the need to conclude trade talks, WTO chief Pascal Lamy said Wednesday.

Lamy said the worst contraction in more than 60 years made it "economically imperative to conclude" the Doha Round of global trade talks, which started in 2001 and remained deadlocked after nine years of negotiations due to lingering disagreements between developed and developing countries on market access for agricultural and industrial goods.

The unprecedented reduction in global commerce makes it "economically imperative to conclude" international trade negotiations, which are at a standstill, in 2010, Lamy said.

ECONOMIC DATA SHOW WORLD TRADE HAS WEAKENED SO FAR IN 2010

" World trade was reduced by 12 percent in 2009," he told the European Policy Centre, a Brussels think tank.It was the "sharpest decline" since the end of the World War II, he said, and worse than the 10 percent fall that the WTO had forecast in December.The Doha Round of trade negotiations began in 2001 with a focus on dismantling obstacles to trade for poor nations, by aiming for a deal that would cut agriculture subsidies and tariffs on industrial goods.

Deadlines to conclude the talks have been repeatedly missed.

Discussions have been dogged by disagreements, including on how much the United States and the European Union should reduce farm aid and the extent to which developing countries such as India and China should. The WTO chief said on Monday that it was too early for trade ministers to meet at the end of March on a new push for the Doha Round, dampening hope that the trade talks could be concluded by the year end as promised by world leaders.

Is the laggard Anz Going to steal the march on the Big 3 Banks

2010-02-19T15:49:00.001-08:00

ANZ Ready to launch into Indian market

ANZ appears to have all but secured its long-awaited Indian banking licence after the nation's reserve bank recommended to the Indian government that it be allowed to open a branch in Mumbai. An unnamed official with India's Ministry of Finance was quoted by India's Economic Times as saying the Reserve Bank of India had given its approval to the ANZ application for a banking licence. The final decision on the matter now sits with India's Finance Minister.

ANZ BANK IN INDIA

RBI ( RESERVE BANK OF INDIA ) has recommended to the finance ministry that ANZ Bank be allowed to open a branch in Mumbai, opening the doors to the bank that was caught up in the 1992 securities scam and had left the country at the turn of the millennium. At the turn of the millennium, ANZ, or the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, was among the top three foreign banks in India, but it made an exit from the country in 2000 after selling its Grindlays Bank unit to Standard Chartered for $1.34 billion. At that time, ANZ Grindlays had 41 branches in India.

REF:http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/banking/finance/banking/RBI-recommends-opening-of-ANZ-Mumbai-branch/articleshow/5574412.cms

The licence would open a new front to the ambitious Asian expansion headed by the ANZ chief executive, Mike Smith. The bank has been waiting more than a year for approval to enter the fast-growing Indian market.

Last year, ANZ took part in talks regarding the 30 Royal Bank of Scotland branches in India but the branches were sold to HSBC. ANZ has a mixed history in the Indian market through its previous ownership of Grindlays, which it sold to Standard Chartered in 2000. Grindlays later became involved in a long-running legal action after being caught up in a fraudulent cheque scam. ANZ was eventually hit with more than $280 million in losses as a result of the action. ANZ owns a technology services business in Bangalore, which provides back office support for the bank's Australian and New Zealand operations. In India, like other parts of Asia, ANZ is hoping to sell retail banking services to the nation's booming middle class.

Bank ANZ in Vietnam

ANZ is Australia’s leading bank in Asia.

In Vietnam, ANZ has been providing banking services for the last 14 years. ANZ has won quite a few banking awards in asia

‘Best Customer Oriented Bank’ 2005, Vietnam Economic Times
‘Most Favourite Bank in Vietnam’ 2004, Vietnam Economic Times
‘Best Foreign Bank in Vietnam 2003/4’, Finance Asia, Hong Kong
‘Best Retail Bank in Vietnam 2003’, The Asian Banker, Singapore

ANZ ( Australia and New Zealand Bank ) around the world

ANZ was founded in Australia more than 150 years ago. It has since grown to become a major international banking and financial services group. ANZ is Australia’s leading bank in Asia and the Pacific and today is one of the top 50 banks in the world. With thousands of banking outlets, modern systems, world-leading technology, financial expertise and a real commitment to local communities, ANZ is now the choice for banking services for over 6 million customers worldwide.

Is qantas really a good stock pick ?

2010-02-18T03:51:00.001-08:00

Is Qantas a good stock pick , well looking at the market signs today it sure is telling us where Qantas is heading at least for the short term ,DOWN and so is its aircraft from what we saw today on the news, yet another Qantas incident.

Shareholders dump Qantas stock

Shareholders savaged the Qantas stock today bringing it down a heft 8 % to $2.73 and their Qantas aircraft followed suit by coming down as well after being unable to operate its landing gear properly. Qantas had bad news to spare today - in the air and on the ground - after a plane with troublesome landing gear was forced to turn back as the company announced a massive fall in profit.

The carrier disappointed investors when it forecast that annual earnings before tax would only reach 300 to 400 million Australian dollars ($268 to 358 million). The airline had already made 267 million Australian dollars ($239 million) in the first six months, but higher fuel and depreciation costs were expected to reduce second-half earnings.

Qantas said that in light of current market conditions and fuel prices, in addition to its "capital expenditure program," it has opted to not pay an interim dividend to shareholders."Future dividends will be assessed against ongoing earnings performance and capital requirements," the company said.

DISMAL QANTAS PROFIT ANNOUNCED

Qantas net profit for the half year had fallen by 72 per cent to $58 million because of the global financial crisis and fewer people travelling overseas. That was no surprise for share market analyst Roger Montgomery, who said airfares were far too cheap and it was amazing that airlines could make any money."They only continue to operate because they're able to borrow money or raise fresh capital from shareholders," he said.

The global airline industry is expected to take several years to recover from the downturn. The International Air Transport Association said the industry may lose $5.6 billion in 2010.

Qantas is part of the Oneworld alliance that includes American Airlines ( AMR - news - people ), British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways ( CPCAY.PK - news - people ) and Japan Airlines, which was bolstered last week by the news that JAL would stay with the group. Delta Air Lines ( DAL - news -people ) had been lobbying hard to persuade Japan's bankrupt carrier to switch to its SkyTeam group instead.

Technorati Tags: Dividend,qantas stock price,quantas dividend,net profit qantas,qantas profit report,airlines,sector,aviation,incidents,Airline accidents

Qantas Annual report 2009

Qantas previous incidents

Qantas Airbus A330 incident, 480km North West of Perth on 27 December 2008
Qantas Airbus A330 Accident on 7 October 2008 ( Qantas A330 In Flight Upset Accident 7 October 2008)

Qantas Boeing 747-400 accident and diversion to Manila on 25 July 2008 ( Qantas 747 Depressurization Accident 25 July 2008)

Qantas tyre burst incident in Singapore 8 March 2006

World Top bankers secretly meet in Australia

2010-02-11T03:42:00.001-08:00

According to news received in Australia the world's top central bankers began arriving ion 6th Feb 2010 in Australia yesterday as renewed fears about the strength of the global economic recovery ( Dubai , Greece , Spain ) gripped world share markets

Secret meeting of World Bankers

PEOPLES BANK OF CHINA

Top world Bank officials meet in australia

Representatives from 24 central banks and monetary authorities including the US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank landed in Sydney to meet tomorrow at a secret location, the Herald Sun reports. This event was organised by the Bank for International Settlements , the two-day talks are shrouded in secrecy with high-level security believed to have been put in place for this event.

The event is to be dominated by Asian delegations and is expected to include governors of the Peoples Bank of China, the Bank of Japan and the Reserve Bank of India. There has been ongoing fears that countries including Greece, Portugal, Spain and Dubai could default on debt repayments combined with disappointing US jobs data to spook investors.

The gathering also comes at an important time for the BIS as it initiates an overhaul of the global banking system which will include new capital rules applying to banks and more stringent standards regulating executive pay.

Speculation that the chairman of the US Federal Reserve, Dr Ben Bernanke, would make an appearance could not be confirmed last nigh

China taking over USA

2010-02-10T06:12:00.001-08:00

News crop , coco cola , AIG some of the top companies have been partly taken over by Chinese companies. China is investing in big American companies like apple and citigroup and slowly taking control of American companies

China investment corporation which is the front for sovereign wealth fund of china has been steadily increasing its stakes in American companies.

And Times reveals that China’s sovereign wealth fund “quietly snapped up” more than $9 billion worth of shares last year in some of America’s biggest corporations, including Morgan Stanley, Bank of America and Citigroup last year

China Investment Corp., the government’s $300 billion sovereign investment fund, has had a mixed investment record since its creation in 2007 with an initial stake of about $200 billion. The CIC’s cash supply was later increased to $300 billion as the Chinese government tried to figure out what to do with a mountain of foreign reserves, now swelling to more than $2.4 billion.

Shocking Stock markets this friday

2010-02-06T04:32:00.001-08:00

we had a shocking run this friday.. the stockmarket is bleeding due to the diseased US markets …

In australian Stock market news today…

Harvey Norman (HVN) down 10c to 362c - 2Q sales increased 6.8% from a year ago. On a like-for-like basis Australian sales were up 6.5% for the quarter. They have reiterated guidance of a 40% increase in pre-tax profit for the half year. HVN reported total group sales growth of 4% for the half and 2.5% LFL
ResMed (RMD) doing well - up 6% to 635c - after reporting a better-than-expected 36% rise in 2Q net profit to $US45.9m. One broker predicted $US41.5m.
TABCORP Holdings (TAH) management says a demerger involving their gaming and casino businesses is not on the cards. They announced a better than expected earnings result yesterday. TAH up 5c to 710c.
Street Talk says both Extract Resources (EXT) andCuDeco (CDU) are lining up for capital raisings to help them with project development. EXT down 3.7% to 728c and CDU down 8.9% to 356c.
AED Oil (AED) acquires stakes in two Indonesian oil and gas properties from Canadian company Nations Patroleum, paying $US1.5m and issuing 12m shares. AED down 5.8% to 56.5c.
Ramelius Resources (RMS) expects a net profit (before income tax) for the half to be approximately $15m compared to the $1.03m next loss at the same time last year. RMS down 0.5c to 55c.
Sonic Healthcare (SHL) acquires Medhold Group in Belgium. SHL up 15c to 1443c.
Virgin Blue (VBA) announced last night that it expects a pretax profit of $80m-$110m for the financial year. VBA down 1c to 54c.
EdenEnergy (EDE) up to 14c from 5.7c after signing terms sheet with Indian Oil Corp, India’s largest commercial enterprise.
The Australian performance of construction index hit its highest point in 2 years last month, up 8.4 points to 57.7.
Stocks hitting fresh yearly lows include: Dominion Mining (DOM), Elders (ELD) and Apex Minerals (AXM).

Is potash the next big thing

2010-01-29T18:53:00.001-08:00

BHP Billiton Ltd., the world’s largest mining company, said it agreed to acquire Athabasca Potash Inc. for about C$341 million ($322 million) to add to assets in Canada containing the crop nutrient potash.

Mining Growth in potash sector ?

Athabasca has one of the largest exploration permit areas in the so-called Saskatchewan basin, covering approximately 6,900 square kilometres (2,664 square miles), BHP said in a separate statement. The Athabasca deal will give BHP access to a total exploration area of more than 14,000 square kilometres in the so-called Saskatchewan potash basin, BHP said.

And then there's potash.

Potash is the common name for potassium carbonate and various mined and manufactured salts that contain the element potassium in water-soluble form. In some rare cases, potash can be formed with traces of organic materials such as plant remains.

It is big business. Potash Corp of Saskatchewan is worth more than Barrick Gold - the market caps are $US39 billion and $US33 billion respectively.

Potash and mining in australia

Potash is a source of potassium which, in fertilisers, raises yields and disease resistance for plants. The potash price has doubled in the past three years.

Reward Minerals is a local play not for the faint-hearted. The company owns the aptly named Lake Disappointment prospect in Western Australia - aptly because Reward's efforts have been frustrated by a native title impasse. updates @ http://www.rewardminerals.com//index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

Australia now imports all its potash, but Reward is hoping to fill a large part of that demand. There's just that native title barrier and, of course, further drilling before Reward can cross the production bridge.

Other potash projects

Caldera Resources In

(Caldera is engaged in diamond exploration in Australia. Three projects are located in the Pilbara region of northern Western Australia, one of which is joint ventured with Mr. Ronald Winston. The Company also has one project located adjacent to the Ellendale Lamproite Field in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Caldera also has three base metal/gold projects in South Australia.)

Potasio Rio Colorado (PRC) potash project in Argentina

AusPotash

Aus Potash is now a wholly owned subsidiary Sirius Exploration Plc. For further information, please go to: www.siriusexploration.com ...
www.auspotash.com

Corumbá iron ore mine in Brazil

Passport Metals Inc

Talon Metals Corp

Sainik Coal Mining Pvt. Ltd., an India Company

Asia Pacific Potash Corporation’s Udon Potash Project in north-eastern Thailand

Australian Potash Company Pty Ltd

( Carnarvon Basin Project, an exploration property covering approximately 4,280 square kilometres of prospective potash horizons in an extensive evaporite basin known as the Southern Carnarvon Basin in Western Australia. Previous drilling, consisting of three widely spaced oil and gas wells over a distance of 25 kilometres, has indicated the potential for significant potash and other sodium and magnesium salts)

Historical potash prices (Canada)

Technorati Tags: potash pilbara,caldera mines australia,potash western australia kimberely,Bauxite Mining Coal Mining Cobalt Mining Copper Mining Diamond Mining Iron Ore Mining Lead Mining Lithium Mining Mercury Mining Mining Contractors Mining Equipment Mining Investment Mining Services Mining Stocks Molybdenum Mining Nickel Mining Oil and Gas Phosphate Mining Platinum Group Metals Potash Mining Precious Metal Uranium Mining Vanadium Mining Zinc Mining

It is well-known that Australian soils are low in phosphorus. What is not so well-known is that many of our soils are also low in potassium. As a result, the animal manures that we increasingly use on our gardens in place of chemical fertilisers are also low in potassium. This has led to an increase in the incidence of plant diseases. Although potash could never be described as a fungicide, its correct use can certainly minimise diseases such as blackspot, rust and powdery mildew. These appear most visibly on the leaves and fruit of affected plants, but can affect any part.

Fertilizers Related to potash :
nitroegen (urea, ammonium nirate, ammonium sulphate)
phosphate fertilizers (superphospahte, dap, map)
potassium (muriate of potash, sulpahte of potash)
compound fertilizers (npk granulated, bulk blended)

US unveils "Spank the Banks" tax

2010-01-19T01:52:00.001-08:00

The banks are gonna get some spanking

US President Barack Obama unveiled a "Spank the Banks" tax which will net $125 billion over a decade, in a bid to curb the "obscene" bonus culture. But his has not stopped the big investment banks from giving its top trader lavish bonuses.

Goldman Sachs hot shots are expected to land an 81 percent rise in pay and bonuses for 2009, leading Wall Street's biggest banks in rewarding staff with a total of $108 billion (US$100 billion).

Uk supertax vs Obama’s spank the bank tax

In the UK, the new 50 percent "super-tax" on bonuses above $44,000 should pull around $530 million into the government's coffers.

Rival bank JP Morgan was slammed by politicians across the globe on Friday when it revealed plans to pay up 24,654 traders a vast $10.1 billion in bonuses. The bank was awarded $16.6 billion of US taxpayers' cash amid the global financial crisis last year. It has since repaid the loan, and last week posted a huge jump in profits to almost $13 billion.

Morgan Stanley is rumoured to be planning payouts worth $16 billion, despite being slated to have lost around $922 million this year. Citigroup is expected to pay out $5.5 billion in bonuses to its investment banking arm, despite preparing to report losses of $9.2 billion this week, according to The Sunday Times

US President Barack Obama will spank the banks with a £71BILLION tax on "obscene" profits. He unveiled plans for a decade-long levy on 50 of America's biggest financial institutions.

The tax could cost British banks in the States £900million a year. Barclays, HSBC and Royal Bank of Scotland all have big US businesses. President Obama insisted he would recoup "every single dime" used to bail out banks during the credit crunch.

We will have to wait and see if Kevin Rudd comes out with some sorta similar tax over here “Screw the banks tax” . Suggestions welcome :)

Griffin coal – Will it survive ?

2010-01-15T20:17:00.001-08:00

January 04, 2010 12:00AM Griffin coal Enters administration

ONE of Western Australia's biggest privately owned companies, Griffin Coal, last night appointed administrators after missing $30 million in debt and tax payments due to be made on December 31.

The company, which has been operating since 1923 in the Collie area southeast of Perth, is controlled by one of Australia's most reclusive businessmen, Ric Stowe, who divides his time between Perth and Monaco.

NEWS UPDATE - Fri Jan 15, 2010 9:22pm AEDT Griffin Coal deal struck

The administrator of Griffin Coal Mining has struck a deal with the State Government which will allow a $4 million advance payment to be made to the collapsed miner.

Brian McMaster, the KordaMentha partner who was appointed to examine the company, said the 300-strong workforce would operate on a "business as usual" basis while he assessed the condition of the business.

Griffin Coal is a unit of the Griffin Group, which was founded by businessman Rick Stowe and has investments in energy, property, agriculture, coal, office products and helicopters, according to its website.

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From - http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/griffin-coal-goes-into-administration/story-e6frg8zx-1225815753715

The ATO investigation concluded in 2004 that the Griffin Group had sent money offshore and claimed improper deductions for multi-million-dollar debts, boats and aircraft expenses. It said the group understated its income by $183m, upon which the $102m bill, including penalties and interest charges, was calculated. The ATO imposed penalties worth $14m because it found evidence of "evasion" and "a high degree of carelessness" in Griffin Group subsidiaries, according to court documents.

Mr Stowe has also been waging a battle against the ATO over the deductibility of the $6.1m of management fees that his private company, Devereaux Holdings, reportedly paid to him and his chief financial officer, Graham Croots, in 2003-04.

An ATO audit of the company in 2005 disallowed almost all of the $3.15m deduction claimed for 2003-04, saying the fees had been inflated.

GRIFFIN COAL PODCAST ABC

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Cash flow problems Bring down griffin coal

It also emerged that Griffin is understood to be owed $140 million by Monaco-based Ric Stowe's family company, Devereaux Holdings - Griffin's ultimate parent company - through a loan that has grown in recent years.

Griffin Coal said December 11 that it would ask bondholders to agree to waive their rights to take enforcement action after it missed a bond payment due December 1, citing a “a temporary liquidity shortage”.

It was $109m in 2006, according to that year's prospectus for Griffin's $400 million bond issue, reports The Australian.

As well as mining complications, cashflow has been particularly affected since 2006 by attempts to create new markets by building two power plants, Bluewaters 1 and 2, in the area as a result of Griffin losing its last contract to supply WA utility Verve Energy

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Mon Jan 4, 2010 9:00am AEDT

The Premier Colin Barnett and the Energy Minister Peter Collier have met the administrators KordaMentha today.

Mr Collier emerged from the meeting to announce the Government would not be putting any money into the company which he believes will be sold.

"I would imagine there would be plenty of players in the field and I don't imagine they would have too many problems solving that issue or selling the company," he said.

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January 14, 2010

Griffin coal may attract a buyer from China, India

Griffin Coal Mining Co, a failed Australian coal mining company with debts of at least A$700 million ($646 million), may be sold to a Chinese or Indian buyer, its administrator said. “There’s been a number of expressions of interest so far from overseas and domestic companies,” Brian McMaster, a partner at administrator KordaMentha

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The griffin group administrato ( korda mentha ) profile in the group

The Griffin Coal Mining Company Pty Ltd
ACN 008 667 285
W.R. Carpenter Holdings Pty Ltd
ACN 008 401 796
Griffin Energy Group Pty Ltd
ACN 008 681 696
Carpenter Mine Management Pty Ltd
ACN 106 053 703
Carpenter Mine Management Holdings Pty Ltd
ACN 122 080 684
(All Administrators Appointed)

Date of Appointment: 3 January 2010

Appointees: Brian McMaster, Scott Kershaw, Cliff Rocke and Mark Mentha

Best wishes for 2010 from Australian stock watch

2010-01-06T01:57:00.001-08:00

2010 is here to stay and so how did your 2009 go?

Most people would say it went pretty fast and then some would say it went slow (probably they were not doing enough). One thing is for sure it was quite a eventful year. There was the Meltdown of financial markets from which we are still recovering and still getting after shocks. Iphone’s made it bigger this year and so did it cousin ipod becoming smaller and smaller .Soon you will be saying that is not a button on my shirt it is my ipod. I suppose now next year could be the year of the Android you never know , and then maybe androids cousins by the dozens ( considering it software is free source). It was also the year that the Indian movie about the poor shanty towns in India “slumdog millionaire” created waves all around the world by wining multiple Oscars. It was also the year that Kevin Rudd did not get into the media pages for partying with strippers, but for saying Sorry to the lost generation. It was the year the Pope touched down in Sydney and Australia got blessed. It was the year of the gorgon with massive mining projects being announced in eastern states and WA giving some good news for the economy. It was the year we again badgered the Japanese for killing the whales while we planned to cull camels by large numbers in our own backyard. It was the year the Australian population almost doubled by the pommies who came in by the droves to Australia in fully chartered flights from UK and so did the boat people and the students via other channels.

It was the year the Australian tax office started giving away money, instead of taking it thanks to Santa Claus Kevin Rudd’s stimulus package just before Christmas.

http://www.drawingbook.com.au/news.php

It was the year American president Bush got whacked with a boot from a Iraqi guy in front of the whole world and was then replaced by Barrack OBama who became America’s First Black president. Shareholders stood up and took notice of the fat pay packets that CEO’s were getting inspite of all companies not performing too well. It was the year of generous First home owner grants for Australians and low interest rates allowing many to finally chase their big aussie dream.

2009 was the year china made its presence known as the future next big superpower by showing their might and showmanship at the inaugural of the Olympic Games. It was the year the world mourned the demise of the king of pop Michael Jackson. It was the year You tube became so big that all DVD , TV and media players started incorporating you tube access in their electronics. It was the year stars were born on you tube like the “ I dream a dream” star Susan Boyle who did not even need to win the Top idol show on TV to become a worldwide singing sensation.

It was the year Australia showed the world how financially sound they were compared to the rest of the world and the Australian dollar almost reached parity with the US dollar @ 98 cents to a dollar.

Article - Sheldon Singh for australian stock watch

Bric and Brac and the india and china growth story

2009-12-28T18:18:00.001-08:00

Its nearing 2010 and I’m actually quite sick of the BRIC acronym. But at least the “B” is in the right place: First!

Brazilian stocks, as measured by the iShares Brazil Index ETF (NYSE: EWZ) are up 96%, year to date.

That’s right. In a year that began with financial Armageddon, Brazilian stocks were barely stymied, paving the way for the huge move in the middle to latter part of the year.

Brazil, Russia, India And China (BRIC)

India vs China – The Race for economic growth

Most visitors to India and China form their impressions about these countries by comparing such cities as Mumbai, New Delhi, and Bangalore with Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou. The difference between the two countries’ urban centers is truly stark. China’s top cities now look more modern and sleeker than New York or London. Yet one cannot overlook the fact that adult literacy in India runs at only about 61%, far below the 91% figure for China, the 90% figure for Indonesia, and the 89% figure for Brazil.

In 2008, China’s GDP was just a bit more than three times that of India. If India’s GDP grows at 8% to 9% a year over the next decade—a reasonable prediction based on analyses by Goldman Sachs (GS), the U.S. National Intelligence Council, and other analysts—India’s GDP in 2020 will be almost the same as China’s in 2008.

(For comparison’s sake, China, using the iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index ETF(NYSE: FXI) as a proxy, has returned just 46%.)

So given that this is forecast week, I’m going to double-down on Brazil in the coming year.

Fact is, the money flowing into Brazilian corporate bonds, which is fueling the economic boom there, is astonishing. Real-denominated corporate bonds totaled $19.5 billion in the first 11 months of this year, versus only $8.9 billion in the same year-ago period.

And 2010 will likely be another banner year, as the quality of the issuers – the corporations – increases for the year 2010.

Even better, the state-run bank, BNDES, is providing liquidity (about $5.7 billion’s worth) for a secondary market for trading the bonds.

Bottom line, I’m a sucker for a developing nation undergoing such a robust capital market expansion. (Brazil’s international reserves have surged to a near record $238 billion from $206 billion a year ago, as foreign investment in the nation’s capital markets increased.)

But don’t take my word alone for it. Karim Rahemtulla gives his emerging market outlook (and ways to profit) on Brazil, along with the rest of the BRICs.

Shanghai Stock Exchange Top Chinese stocks

PetroChina (3,656.20 billion)
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (1,417.93 billion)
Sinopec (961.42 billion)
Bank of China (894.42 billion)
China Shenhua Energy Company (824.22 billion)
China Life (667.39 billion)
China Merchants Bank (352.74 billion)
Ping An Insurance (272.53 billion)
Bank of Communications (269.41 billion)
China Pacific Insurance (256.64 billion)

Thanks ; Ref : http://www.penny-hopefuls.com/india/ ,http://www.penny-hopefuls.com/china/

Related popular Links:

http://www.australianstockwatch.com/2009/12/get-200-gains-on-australian-stock.html

http://www.penny-hopefuls.com/australia-stock-exchange/

http://www.australianstockwatch.com/2009/12/stock-punts-for-2010.html

http://www.indonesianstockmarket.com/glossary-idx/

http://www.indiasharesinvestment.com/hot-stocks/hot-india-stocks-for-2010-11/

http://www.indiasharesinvestment.com/mahindra-aerospace/mahindra-acquires-2-aerospace-companies-in-australia/

http://www.indonesianstockmarket.com/

Stock punts for 2010

2009-12-22T02:24:00.001-08:00

Careful stock selection for 2010 could prove as rewarding as it was this year and soem stocks to look out for is as below. These pure plays were favorites in 2009 and made some money . it could most definitely continue the trend in 2010

Australian Mining and Energy stocks For 2010

COAL:

The genuine surprise package on the punters' list is Gujarat NRE Minerals (GNM).

The Indian-controlled group is a pure play in hard coking coal, the likely boom commodity in 2010. Contract prices for 2009 of $US125 ($141) a tonne for the steelmaking raw material are likely to rise by a minimum of 30 per cent. Gujarat owns two mines in the southern coalfields of NSW with a resource base of 570 million tonnes. It closed on recently at 71c.

COPPER:

A maiden resource estimate in the March quarter from Sandfire Resources (SFR) for its DeGrussa/Conductor 1 copper/gold deposit in Western Australia is expected to more than justify its current share price ($3.33 on Friday), with exploration upside to come.

GOLD:

It says something about the lack of exploration success in the local gold industry that the gold stock to watch is an African explorer, Perseus Mining (PRU).

It is a standout candidate to be taken over in 2010, with its 400,000 ounce-a-year near-term production potential from deposits in Ghana and Ivory Coast expected to be too much for the big boys of the goldmining game to resist. Perseus rose 6.5c a share on Friday to $1.74 on heavy buying by Citigroup.

IRON ORE:

This is one area where share price fatigue has set in after a strong rebound from the distressed levels of February. Access issues for the juniors to rail and port infrastructure has not gone away. The trackside punters went for Gindalbie (GBG), developer of the Karara iron ore project in Western Australia's mid-west, in a joint venture with China's Ansteel.

It will be the project that finally convinces investors that the discount applied to magnetite projects in this market is just plain dumb.

NICKEL:

Those that were trackside went for Chris Borwick's Independence Group (IGO). It remained profitable when nickel prices were at their worst and has a track record of adding to its resource base. Exposure to gold through the Tropicana gold joint venture with AngloGold Ashanti doesn't hurt. It last traded at $4.77 a share.

OIL:

The punters settled on Cooper Energy (COE). It closed on Friday at 49c a share. At that price, exposure to its high-impact 2010 drilling program in overseas locations comes for nothing, given its market cap is more than covered by its $100 million in cash and its ongoing oil production business in South Australia's Cooper Basin.

URANIUM:

It is in a legal stoush with its partner but there is no taking away from the fact that Melbourne company Alliance Resources (AGS) has one of the best uranium exposures thanks to its interest in the Four Mile deposit in South Australia.

For those prepared to look beyond the delays in the mine's development because of the legal battles, the entry price through Alliance has been reduced to 64c a share