Consumptio to GDP ratios

ABN Amro has launched the world’s first climate change and environment index

http://www.asianinvestor.net/article.aspx?CIaNID=48718

 The rules-based index, which will be managed by Standard and Poor’s, comprises of up to 32 stocks involved in a number of environmentally conscious industries ranging from renewable energy, water and waste management to businesses in ethanol, geothermal and alternative fuels.

The index will be rebalanced semi-annually and will ensure that money will be redistributed by taking profits from the companies that have performed. Additionally, the index will also be re-weighted on an annual basis to reflect changes in the market capitalisation of each sub-sector and to also reflect actual relative growth in each sector.

Within this basket, there are eight official sub-sectors, each comprised of up to four companies

India “star” mutual manager to launch HF

HSBC Halbis Partners, the active asset-management arm of HSBC Group, is launching its India Alpha Fund, a long/short strategy that marks the first hedge fund for veteran India equities manager Sanjiv Duggal.

http://www.asianinvestor.net/

Mortgage stat

classic Europe: New attack on private equity and hedge funds & Szarkozy crap… im surprised he hasnt mentioned 12th Imam:-)

Leading Socialist deputies in the European parliament presented a report into the hedge fund and private equity sectors yesterday that advocated measures to curb the influence of activist investors on businesses and workers, or what the report calls the “real economy”. The intervention by parliament’s second-biggest political force is unlikely to lead to tougher rules for the industry by itself.

“I don’t believe that the market will solve it and I don’t want to wait for a major crisis,” Ms van den Burg said.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/63ac50a0-de5c-11db-afa7-000b5df10621.html

meanwhile at the same day :

Brussels shocked by Sarkozy rhetoric

shock” at the protectionist rhetoric of Nicolas Sarkozy, the leading challenger for the French presidency, saying it was in France’s interests to promote the European single market and cross-border investment

when he said :

“Look at the waste of Arcelor, which we sold off on the cheap because we believed that the steel industry was history. They got it wrong. They lied,” said Mr Sarkozy to a cheering crowd at Lille’s Palais des Congrès. “If I am president, then France will have a real industrial policy.”

he stepped up his attacks on the European Central Bank (ECB) and the euro. “If wages are too low, it is because the euro is too expensive and when the euro is too expensive, companies try to stay competitive by making up for it on wages,” he said.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/4269a51a-de15-11db-afa7-000b5df10621.html

Commerce Department Applies New Duties Against China

The U.S. Commerce Department, reversing more than two decades of practice, decided today to levy new duties on imports from China to compensate for Chinese subsidies to exporters.

This decision is the most significant step toward a stronger trade policy with China than we have experienced in this decade,” Republican Representative Phil English of Pennsylvania .   

will range from 10.9 percent to 20.3 percent

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aVbdOL7MKYj8&refer=home

The Chinese government lost a U.S. court case yesterday aimed at preventing this decision.   and price action and news is today???? or is it me beeing lazy and not reading the news , when the news happanes.    read more on monday

U.S. Farmers Plan the Most Acres Since 1944 : classic case of supply response to demand shift

Corn acres will rise 15 percent from last year to 90.454 million, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. Soybean acres may fall 11 percent to 67.14 million. Corn production could rise 18 percent to more than 12.4 billion bushels

 http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aNCxjb_ZiKJg&refer=home

hedgies and bike-ridding Mr. Rogers dont corner&mess around with commodities where supply is freely available.  Go back to nickel and corner it to death fools!!!  suported by lame pension fund manager , passive indexing idiot. and pay that contango, pay it , pay !

after Chinas movelast week : Indian Central Bank Unexpectedly Raises Interest Rate (Update4)

The Reserve Bank of India increased its overnight lending rate by a quarter percentage point today to a 4 1/2 year high of 7.75 percent. The Mumbai-based bank also raised banks’ reserve requirements for the third time since December, and said it is shifting policy away from balancing inflation with economic growth to focusing solely on prices.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=a.ghSkoS2T5Y&refer=asia

intresting Asian stat (knowledge)

It is telling that almost all Asian-born Nobel scientific laureates have been honoured for work done in the west. 

 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/c1d1ca7c-dd92-11db-8d42-000b5df10621.html

Sweden to axe wealth tax symbol of leftwing rule..go long SEK??

Sweden’s centre right -government’s plan to scrap the country’s wealth tax, will remove one of the most powerful symbols of seven decades of almost uninterrupted leftwing rule.

Fredrik Reinfeldt, prime minister, who won elections last September, said a proposal to eradicate the 1.5 per cent tax on personal wealth of more than SKr1.5m ($200,000, €160,000, £109,000) would be included in next month’s budget.

 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/96db2066-dd92-11db-8d42-000b5df10621.html