TraderPlanet.com :: illy68's Commentaries

Vale well positioned as China's steelmakers warm up

Mon, 04 May 2009 17:07:48 +0000

Companhia Vale do Rio Doce has recently been climbing back from lows caused by the severe drop in demand for its principle feedstock, iron ore. However, there are signs that the Brazilian mining giant may be turning the corner, as the Baltic Dry Index has begun to show some activity off the back of speculation that the steel industry is picking up, particularly in Asia.

Vale said steel output across Asia declined by only 8.9% in the first quarter, despite the Japanese recession. This would ind...

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Russia : Mobile Telesystems - the long case

Sun, 03 May 2009 06:16:24 +0000

Although in Q4 2008, Mobile Telesystems suffered a disastrous $794.8 million foreign exchange loss to reflectbook value of the company’s foreign-denominated debt due to the weak ruble, there are plenty of signs Russia’s largest mobile operator is worth investing in now.With revenue growing 4.0% to $2.42 billion from $2.33 billion a year ago, which is healthy in the current economic climate. Taking into account that the rouble declined by 16% against the dollar in the last three months of 2008...

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Nokia gets thumbs up from China

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:22:14 +0000

Following on from the distribution of 3G licences earlier this year for China’s three mobile networks, China Mobile, China Telecom & China Unicom, along with the convoluted technology demands imposed by the regulator, signs are that Nokia will be sitting a little higher up the table at the tea party, as Chinese news portal Xinhua reports :

“China hopes Nokia will enhance cooperation with China’s information sector and play an active role in developing China’s TD-SCDMA industry, Chinese Vice Pr...

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BHP & Rio Tinto to extract billion dollar contracts as well as uranium

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 07:19:12 +0000

Australia could be looking at a new multibillion-dollar export market as China looks for a steady supply of uranium, which it needs to underpin a massive expansion in its nuclear power industry. Chinese officials this week announced they would start building five extra power plants this year on top of the 24 already under construction and 11 already in operation. Australia could add A$17 billion to gross domestic product by 2030 by maximizing suppliers to meet rising global demand for nuclear...

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China Mobile starts to push 3G strategy & partnerships, good news for Dell ?

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 07:17:23 +0000

Following on from the 3G licence distribution that we reported on MyStockVoice late last year, China looks to 3G market to stimulate economy, market leader China Mobile has unveiled a number of new partnerships & device releases that show the direction it is taking in the medium term. After the on-off discussions with Apple regarding the iPhone, the wireless carrier seems to be pitching heavily into the PC hardware vendors, as well as choosing suppliers to expand its TD-SCDMA network to cover...

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ABB : Switzerlands Sleeping Giant

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:28:49 +0000

Swiss power & automation specialist ABB is moving from strength to strength with the recent announcement of a €550m contract which integrates with a green power project in Ireland. Irish system operator Eirgrid, has ordered a transmission system using HVDC Light , an ABB technology with environmental benefits that include neutral electromagnetic fields, oil-free cables, low electrical losses, and compact converter stations. The solution will allow Ireland to expand wind power generation &...

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Chile leads the way for South American ETFs

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:31:19 +0000

Whilst suffering from shrinking export markets, led by the all important 20% supply of global copper, a shrinking economy & climbing unemployment; Chile continues to buck global trends, with ratings agency, Moody’s Investors Service making it the first investment- grade country to be awarded a higher credit rating this year. The South American country’s $22 billion of savings in wealth funds has put it in a position to recover more quickly from the global credit crisis than other, similarly r...

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Indonesia - the long road back

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 08:16:25 +0000

The Asian financial crisis in 1997 pushed Indonesia to economic collapse a decade ago. Its overextended banking system imploded, spurring high unemployment, severe rioting and, eventually, the fall of the Suharto government. Weathering an even more calamitous global storm now, Indonesia has managed relatively well.

Now, to help it endure the global recession, Indonesia, Asia’s third-most populous nation after China and India, is planning an aggressive economic stimulus, the governor of Indone...

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Petrobras - a shining light for oil service firms

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 08:13:13 +0000

With the recent announcement that Petrobras would raise its five-year investment plan by 55%, knock on effects have been felt throughout the oil services industry & have spurred analysts to look at Brazil as one of the emerging markets that may lead the way in recovery from the current financial crisis. ”Petrobras’s long awaited 5 year plan contains good news for service companies active in Brazil,” Keith Morris, analyst at Evolution Securities said in a research note.

State controlled Petrobr...

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Bolivia’s Lithium quandary

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 08:10:18 +0000

In one of the more remote regions on the planet, high in the Andes, lies the Salar de Uyuni, the famed salt flats stretch across more than 4,000 square miles in Potosi, Bolivia, well known for the fabulous wealth in silver extracted there by the Spanish in colonial times. Now a new age of mining could bring a 21st century El Dorado for the impoverished South American nation, as geologists believe that more than half the world’s reserves of lithium may lie under the salt pans.

Government offic...

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Militants in Niger Delta … bad for Nigeria, could be good for Angola & Ghana

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 06:03:47 +0000

Like many developing nations with vast natural resources, Nigeria has seen a massive influx in Foreign Direct Investment , particularly in the energy sector. However, civil unrest, particularly in the Niger Delta, may be a catalyst for potential investors to look to other West African Nations as investment opportunities. Added to this are the ever present problems of ineptitude & “graft” within both state & federal government, which has brought some unwelcome news for Africa’s largest economy...

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Total continues emerging markets expansion

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 06:00:37 +0000

Total SA , France’s largest company, announced the highest annual net profit in French corporate history last week, sounding a rare positive note in todays grim financial meltdown. In 2008 the firm made a profit of €13.9 Bn thanks to record oil prices in the first half of the year, which helped offset the second half collapse in oil prices. Profits began to fall in the fourth quarter of 2008 as the credit crunch hit demand, sending crude prices tumbling. Total is now preparing for the future...

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Venezuela : after energy, agriculture is targetted for central control

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 05:57:28 +0000

For the last 4 years, soaring worldwide oil prices and 9% growth rates have underpinned President Chavez’s generous social programs & his campaign to build an international anti-American alliance. The oil windfall saw the socialist government of Venezuela threaten to divert oil exports from the US to competitors in China and India, even though the Asian markets would be costlier to serve. Currently 60% of Venezuela’s production goes to the States.

As if Venezuela were not doing well enough, t...

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