finance-worldwide

Interest Rates and the World Economy

By: Shirley Tan

There is no effective way to measure the source of funds as well as the amount of funds each bank and lending institutions have. This would mean facing difficulty in making estimates as to the credit facilities and funds that they have available for lending to business enterprises and individuals. This could have help set the overnight benchmark interest rates. As the Federal Reserve gradually lower interest rates, it also slowly depletes its funds. The only thing that has been holding the interest rates is the Federal Reserve intervention. The interest could have skyrocketed without the timely intervention of the Federal Reserve.

CHINA
(more…)

China Guarantee Industry Investments and Market Outlook to 2011

By: Sunita

China guarantee industry is developing rapidly. As of the end of 2008, there had been 4,247 credit guarantee agencies serving small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in China; the total amount of guarantee for SMEs’ loans had reached RMB1.75 trillion, involving 907,000 companies. By the end of 2009, it’s estimated that there had been over 4,800 credit guarantee agencies serving SMEs in China, providing total guarantee amount of RMB2.6 trillion for 1.15 million enterprises (times).

Because of the increasingly fierce market competition and higher industry threshold, the number of guarantee agencies will grow at a slower pace, to 5,343 in 2011.
(more…)

Shanghai Expo Tips & Faqs, Shanghai World Expo Travel Guide

By: Serena Zhu

1. When the Shanghai Expo will be held?

2010 Shanghai World Expo will held from May 1st to October 31st, 2010 in Pudong District, Shanghai.

2. What is the open time of the Expo Park?

The Expo Park open time is 09:30 — 22:30 every day during the Expo period.

3. What types of the Expo tickets are there?

Expo Tickets could be divided into two categories, Individual Tickets and Group Tickets.

Individual Tickets could be subdivided into 7 kinds of tickets: Peak Day single day admission, Peak Day special admission, Standard Day single day admission, Standard Day special admission, 3 day admission, 7 day admission ticket and evening admission.
(more…)

Beware of Booby traps in Emerging Markets

By: Sam Subramanian PhD, MBA

Year 2009 has been a good one for investors in emerging markets. Since bottoming on November 20, 2008, the MSCI Barra Emerging Market Index is up 84%. Equity prices in Brazil, Russia, India, and China or the BRIC nations are up a higher 93%.

Off-late, equity prices in Eastern Europe are up strongly and trying to catch up with other emerging markets. During the past three months, the MSCI Barra Eastern Europe (excluding Russia) Index is up 28%. This exceeds the 18% and 20% gains scored by equities in emerging markets and BRIC nations, respectively.

And, as emerging markets continue to rake in gains, calls for U. S. investors to invest overseas are growing louder. The underlying rationale is that prospects for economic growth in such markets are superior to those in the U. S. and such markets may be immune to the credit crisis.
(more…)

Performa Invoice and Commercial Invoice

By: sinolinkconsulting

Many foreign investors get confused by different invoices at their early stage in China market. The invoice, printed and issued by a company is the so called “Performa Invoice” while the official invoice printed by Chinese tax authorities is call “Fapiao” in China. Only the Fapiao is directly related with tax payment and could be used for bookkeeping, accounting, tax deduction, and tax rebate purposes.

In foreign trade, the seller usually provides two kinds of invoices to the buyer, Performa Invoice and Commercial Invoice. The Performa Invoice is equivalent to the contract between buyer and seller, which is mainly used for executing the respective rights and obligations of both parties. Commercial invoice is commonly related to the tax and customs clearance. These two invoices are opened separately for they have different roles and functions. The Performa invoice usually is issued earlier than the commercial invoice. This article will introduce the usage of these two invoices, so the companies or individuals who are recently engaged in international trade can get some references to the invoices involved in import and export.
(more…)

CHINA’S MONETARY POLICY PLANS: EFFECT ON CONSUMERS AND INVESTORS

By: Director Raymond Mobrez Ph.D

Monetary policy is important because it has an immense impact on financing conditions in the economy. It influences prices, the availability of credit, bank’s willingness to assume risk, inflationary expectations and ultimately consumption and investment.
The People’s Bank of China, China’s central bank, has committed to the “moderately loose” monetary policy Definition of monetary policy:

The use of the money supply and/or the interest rate to influence the level of macroeconomic activity and other policy objectives including the balance of payments or the exchange rate. that has helped the economy recover from the global economic slump. Over the next two quarters, the central bank Definition of central bank:
(more…)

Asian Travels – 7 Top Places To Visit In Asia

By: Pinky Mcbanon

Asia is a wonderful continent and has some of the most beautiful places to visit in the world. This continent is rich in its various cultures and has a history behind everything. A holiday or vacation to this continent is sure to refresh you and give you an insight to some of the most beautiful sites and breathe taking views you have seen. Here are some of the top places you must visit in Asia.
1. Indonesia – Bali Bali is a small magnificent island which houses the Batubulan Village that are famous for its stone sculptures. The culture it portrays is rich and the Barong dance is a specialty. Do not forget to see the works of the goldsmiths and various handicrafts.
(more…)