Pacific Tycoon
Blog / Aug 2011
Singapore is home to the second busiest port in the world. Where there are goods coming in and out of a port, there’s sure to be a lot of other action going on. Last week to keep up with all the activity, Jurong Port, which is the largest terminal in Singapore announced it had awarded [...]
After the global crisis in 2008, many companies tightened the wallets and held back on investing in anything or anywhere. Despite the pull back, that resulted in a year where the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 37%, shipping lines were still running and people still required the goods and services that they consume to go [...]
Dubai based DP World is in a class to itself. The company operates 60 shipping terminals across 6 continents, of which container handling generates 80% of their revenue. The first half of the year was a good one, profits up a whopping 36% over the same period a year ago. Things are looking bright for [...]
Sometimes, it feels like when it rains, it pours. If you’re an investor, or even a citizen of Europe, you’re pobably feeling like this now. Financial markets in Europe are getting rocked. Not only are they dealing with a possibly crippling debt situation, they’re also feeling the pain from the uncertainty from their neighbors across the Atlantic that are closely approaching a dreaded double dip recession. Europe and America are tied pretty tight and both of them seem to be stuck in a shaking room getting bounced from one side to the next. The earthquake on America’s east coast Tuesday could be a foretelling event of more disaster to come.
Some are worried about the effects on global trade that the current European debt crisis and the American economy, which is teetering on the brink of a renewed recession, will have. There are many reasons to be worried. The banks and governments in Europe have themselves in bind. Investors are fleeing the stock markets and [...]
The growth in Asia is a hot topic. It has been for years now. It’s evident everywhere, especially when you travel. More and more Asians are becoming affluent and buying designer clothes, expensive cars, and traveling to other countries. The amount of money being poured into these economies is staggering, from the investments in ports and infrastructure to the foreign businesses that are moving in and taking advantage of lower cost labor or chain stores and international brands that are coming in to grab a piece of the consumer action.
Seems like this is Middle East week on the P.T. Blog. Yesterday we reported on the boom in business going on in Oman. Today we shift our focus north-west, up the Red Sea to a corner of the Middle East, also called Levant ( which comprises Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian territories). That’s a lot of ground to cover, but one port’s location puts it in prime real estate to just that and more.
Just a few short years ago, the Port of Sohar was an ambitious project that was fighting a lot of competition in the Middle Eastern shipping business. After huge growth year after year, it’s starting to turn more heads than a cat walking model.
Demand is a funny creature. A healthy dose of it keeps the gears of the economy rolling smooth. Too much of it, drives up the cost of goods and services and can grind the wheels to a halt. Not enough demand and the same thing happens. Moderation is the key. It’s hard enough moderating your own personal vices yet alone those 1.2 billion people, in the world’s second most populous country. Despite the difficulties that come with managing that moderation, India is tackling the problem with a new round of planned investments in its port to the tune of US$60 billion dollars.
Back in July, on the 19th, we wrote a post entitled, “Investors Queue Up in Sri Lanka”. We covered the strategic importance of the port and the value it has for the Chinese. Last week as reported in the South China Morning Post that, China Merchants Holdings International has signed an agreement to take a majority stake of 55% in the project at the Colombo South Container Terminal in Sri Lanka.