Aspial carving a niche in pawn broking

But for Singapore’s largest jewellery chain Aspial Corporation, all that glitters is more than gold, as the company looks to carve a niche in its pawn broking segment by taking in non-gold items such as diamonds and white gold. It sees the latter as relatively untapped segments.

Why One Bubble Burst Deserves Another - Andy Xie

The financial crisis taught crucial lessons about the dangers of bubbles, loose regulation and debt. It’s a pity we didn’t learn.

China’s New Real Estate Opportunities

China presents new opportunities for foreigners to invest in Chinese real estate and for U.S. and western property owners to sell to Chinese investors.

Finding clues to the future in China’s past

I have been researching and thinking about Chinese civilisation for more than 20 years. I wrote a book on this topic, which was published by the China Social Sciences Press in January 2007, but even after many deletions were made, the book ended up being banned before its launch. So I am truly delighted that my book can now finally be published and launched overseas in its original state. I wish to thank all the people who have worked hard to make this happen.

Historic Shanghai site being restored to former glory

Peace Hotel to open, after 500m yuan makeover, next year

Chongqing hub for two-wheeled industry, jobs

Motorbike-cabs thrive in busy roads

The ties that bind

Population-control measures may have done more harm than good

Time for SGX to review short-selling penalties

Most naked short-selling here due to carelessness rather than trading abuse

The G-20’s coming out party

Now it’s official, and in black and white. The Group of 20 (G-20) will be the world’s economic steering committee, replacing the old all-rich club the G-7.

More investment value in Noble than Olam

So the state-owned enterprises are on the hunt for value investments again. Just last week, China Investment Corp (CIC) took strategic stakes in Indonesia’s Bumi Resources and commodity trader Noble Group, while PetroChina completed its buyout of Singapore Petroleum Company.

Jade Tech moves on after coal mining debacle

Group president explains why he believed in the coal story

Chance for China to pat itself on the back

The mainland is just four days away from its most spectacular, most hi-tech - and probably most expensive - one-day party to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic.

Agricultural Bank of China to give Hong Kong a miss for IPO

Agricultural Bank of China (ABC), the only unlisted bank among the mainland’s top four lenders, intends to launch its long-awaited initial public offering in Shanghai only, according to mainland banking sources briefed on the matter.

60 years on, China faces major social struggles

China will tout the successes of 60 years of communist rule on Thursday, but the world’s most populous nation faces an array of serious challenges as it seeks to sustain fast-paced economic growth.

Two ordered to buy up shares of partner

Duck abattoir boss was unfairly removed after a dispute, rules judge

Low gaming tax may be key to IRs’ success

The success of the integrated resorts (IRs) here will depend largely on whether their casinos can attract enough of the right type of gamblers, namely the high rollers.

Mainland home prices expected to lose steam

Mainland housing prices have surged since March, but they will soon lose momentum and even start to fall around the end of the year, boding well for a more sustained contribution to overall economic growth.

Will Obama’s Dalai Lama gambit pay dividends?

Barack Obama made history last year when he became the first African-American to be elected president of the United States. Next month, he will make history again, of a different sort. He will become the first president not to meet with the Dalai Lama when the Tibetan leader visits Washington.

Whopping $5m subsale loss for St. Regis unit

The top loss-incurring unit, on the sixth floor, was sold in May for $7.98m.

Hong Kong’s incredible shrinking flats revealed

Buyers of flats in Hong Kong are getting less and less for their money as common areas included in the floor area quoted by developers eat into their living space.

Americans say spending habits ‘altered for good’

A newfound frugality and the tendency to save more may be permanent changes brought about by the United States recession, according to a new survey.

Looking beyond the bottom line

Is an Executive MBA really worth the time and effort in today’s furiously-paced competitive world?

China’s Wu Jinglian Keeps Talking

In the 1980s and ‘90s, he was an adviser to China’s leaders, including Deng Xiaoping. He helped push through some of this country’s earliest market reforms, paving the way for China’s spectacular rise and earning him the nickname “Market Wu.”

China’s political force

Thanks to history, the party and PLA have a unique relationship - but which is the boss

Role of armed police even a mystery to mainland bureaucrats

They are called police but they carry military ranks. They are structured and equipped like a regular military force but they are not on the army’s payroll. Their tasks range from guarding state leaders to helping out with production at gold mines.

Decades after his death, military genius Lin Biao remains a mystery

No man in the history of the People’s Republic has embodied so many contradictions as Marshal Lin Biao - who to this day remains a mysterious figure to most people.

The top brass who can’t fight

Some in the senior PLA ranks are only trained to sing, dance or act

About-turn by Turkey sees Uygurs move

Beijing has used its economic and military ties with Turkey to limit the latter’s historic support for the Uygur cause.

Trading places lets you see the world for free

House swaps allow travellers to save on hotels

US tax snoops zero in on Hong Kong

US tax authorities are spreading their global dragnet wider in an attempt to snare tax evaders, and the income of Americans in Hong Kong may be about to come under more scrutiny.

Former Ernst & Young partner faces charge of doctoring evidence

Another key defendant in the legal battle over the insolvency of collapsed electronics giant Akai has been accused of lodging questionable evidence with the court.

Mainland’s second board is too important to fail

Yes, there will be investment mania and sky-high valuations; there will be dodgy companies and scandals; there will also be state intervention and manipulation; but the mainland second board is here to stay and prosper.

Grande boss’ evidence not real, court told

Christopher Ho Wing-on, a former Ernst & Young partner, is charged by Akai ‘s liquidators with misappropriating most of the consumer electronic company’s assets just before it was wound up in 2000 and transferring them into his Hong Kong-listed vehicle, Grande Holdings.

Mainland investors still keen to bet on equities

Despite uncertainty about the direction of the mainland stock market, many investors say they are inclined to withdraw their bank savings for investment, a central bank survey shows.

Shanda Games drops after raising US$1b in IPO

Shanda Games fell on its first day of trading in New York yesterday after the unit of China’s biggest online games provider raised US$1.04 billion in the largest United States-only initial public offering by a Chinese company since at least 1999.

Going back to its roots, HSBC moves CEO to Hong Kong

But the 144-year-old bank will remain based in UK for tax purposes

Debut flops may not fully deter punters

Despite mediocre performances of some initial public offerings over the past week, analysts believe investors may still be tempted by share sales from Yingde Gases Group and China Vanadium Titano-Magnetite Mining.

How much is a burger worth?

According to a recent UBS survey, Singaporeans can afford to buy less than what people in many other cities can because prices here have risen more than wages.

OCBC drops winding-up petition against FibreChem

Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (Hong Kong Branch) has dropped its winding-up application against FibreChem Technologies to give the company some breathing space to work out a restructuring plan.

Rights-driven penny fever reigns supreme

Wall Street wields greater impact on local stocks as China market influence continues to wane

Sometimes the old ways are best to solve disputes

In the capital of Zhejiang, respected members of communities in Xiacheng district have formed associations of mediators - known as heshilao, or peacemakers - to solve civil disputes without resorting to the courts.

The scientific long march

China’s great minds survived Maoist dogma to play a big part in national development

“Mainland scientists are not good at winning Nobel prizes, but they are doing a good job making the country rich and powerful.”

US outcast who founded missile programme

Qian Xuesen, also known as Tsien Hsue-shen, was one of the United States’ top missile scientists before he became the subject of a five-year witch-hunt that ended with him being deported to the mainland. The system which Qian, now 98, helped put together after his return has since nurtured a nuclear power and space programme that has sent astronauts into the heavens and a probe to the moon.

Beijing’s man for tight economic calls

Quiet and modest Liu He helps shape key policy

Two days after the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings a year ago, an adviser sent by Premier Wen Jiabao met with a group of Harvard University scholars to help shape China’s response.

Singapore’s GIC likely to report shift into property and resources

Singapore’s US$200 billion-plus sovereign wealth fund GIC is likely to reveal next week it is moving more money into property, resources and Asian assets after recently cutting its exposure to large Western banks.

Banned history book’s Hong Kong release to go ahead despite warnings

The author of a history book banned on the mainland for criticising traditional Chinese culture has decided to defy the authorities’ orders not to release the work in Hong Kong.

‘Dead’ senior officer held for alleged bribery

A senior Chongqing police officer who had reportedly died while in detention is alive and was formally arrested yesterday on bribery charges, state media reported.

Stocks’ rally to be tested by jobs data

The rally in stocks, which stumbled in recent days on worries about the economic recovery and continued government stimulus, will be tested next week by crucial data on growth and jobs.

Ma felt typhoon victims were ungrateful, sister reveals

In a public statement that caught everybody off-guard, his eldest sister, Ma Yi-nan, said her brother found the typhoon victims ungrateful.

Zhonghui placed under judicial management

Zhonghui Holdings has been placed under judicial management, following a court petition by its creditor United Overseas Bank (UOB). The Singapore High Court has appointed Goh Thien Phong and Chan Kheng Tek, both partners of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, as the judicial managers, the China-based waste management company said yesterday.

The famous Mao slogan, that he never even used

Taiwan blocks visit by exiled Uighur leader

Taiwan has decided not to allow exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer to visit the island, a move applauded by analysts on mainland China yesterday.

HDB strikes back with ghost writers

Instead of addressing the concerns of Singaporeans that they are being squeezed out of the housing market by rising prices of HDB flats, HDB has struck back to correct public perception through its officers and a deluge of letters from ghost writers.

Lawyer in trouble over fake court judgments

He was helping former business partner placate wife over $150,000 loss

Kids from HDB and private housing fare differently at school

Former teacher says HDB-dwelling students seem to have a lower threshold for stress

Hong Kong shares fall, Lilang stumbles on debut

Hong Kong share prices were 0.96 per cent lower barely an hour into the trading on Friday, with the benchmark Hang Seng Index down at 20,847.86. The China Enterprises Index of top locally listed mainland stocks lost 0.94 per cent to 11,933.84.

Growing Pains for a National Grain Reserve

China’s state-run grain storage firm Sinograin is rapidly expanding into logistics, processing and sales. Will private rivals survive?

Fall and rise of the renminbi: ‘people’s currency’ rides out downturn to become a global powerhouse

Thanks to rapid economic growth in recent decades and the fact China has emerged relatively unscathed from the economic downturn, the renminbi’s purchasing power has strengthened, as has its ability to resist sudden fluctuations.

Diversify or die-versify?

There are limited and specific conditions under which diversification enhances performance

Deng’s cats fuel boom

Sixty years after the founding of the People’s Republic, China is finally on the brink of realising the dream of prosperity for its people and dignity on the world stage.

China Cosco warns of industry losses, cancels orders

China Cosco Holdings, which is in talks with shipyards to recall orders for ships after cancelling eight bulk vessels in July, said the container shipping industry would continue to lose money next year.

Australia caps Chinese investments in miners

China’s investment in Australian mining companies will be capped by Australian regulators as part of efforts to rein in the mainland’s growing economic influence in the resources-rich nation.

2m Confucius descendants

About two million people are now recognised as descendants of Confucius, more than tripling the size of the celebrated Chinese philosopher’s family tree, state media reported on Friday.

This Crisis Just Appetizer for Total Breakdown: Marc Faber

The crisis the world went through is just an appetizer for a future one because the weaknesses that created it have not been addressed, Marc Faber, author and publisher of the Gloom, Doom and Boom Report, told CNBC Friday.

Inflation to Cause Stocks to Outperform Cash, Bonds, Faber Says

Inflation caused by the Federal Reserve’s efforts to prop up the U.S. economy will cause stocks to outperform cash and bond investments, Marc Faber said.

Faber recommends purchasing stocks in drug companies such as Johnson & Johnson, saying it will gain from an aging population, and in oil companies, which he called inexpensive. An index of oil and gas stocks on the S&P 500 has fallen 12 percent this year.

GuocoLeisure - 2nd attempt at privatization?

Guoco-Leisure (GLL) has surged by more than 50% in the past week. This company was formerly known as BIL International and majority-owned by the Hong-Kong based Guoco Group. Below are some salient points on the company.

Auditor accused of fakes settles

Accounting giant Ernst & Young has settled out of court a negligence case over the collapse of a former auditing client, electronics firm Akai Holdings, following allegations its staff tampered with or faked hundreds of documents.

China takes Rio lessons to heart

On Monday, commodity trader Noble Group said it is selling 15 per cent of its shares to China Investment Corp (CIC) for US$850 million, marking the sovereign wealth fund’s latest foray into the resources sector.

Zhou Enlai: gentle face of party who shaped the nation’s foreign policy

If Mao Zedong represented a face of young Communist China that was tough and unrelenting, Zhou Enlai was the one who softened the angles on that face and brought the country back onto the world stage.

‘Buy online’ craze grips affluent Chinese

China may overtake the US as biggest consumer market by 2020, say economists

Mainland’s start-up IPOs set high prices, stir worries

The first 10 firms due to list on China’s Nasdaq-style second board, ChiNext, plan to sell shares at prices 50 per cent above their mainboard peers, just as worries over speculation spurred officials to tighten trading rules.

How the Net changed the lives of millions

“If authorities fail to respond to netizens’ demands, the internet will definitely increase conflict between officials and the public rather than promote communication,” he said. “This is becoming a huge challenge for authorities and censors.”

Why SIC should break its silence on Chartered episode

Discretion is a good thing, but for the Securities Industry Council (SIC), silence does not always serve to further its cause.

Why sell now? GIC has its reasons

Its Citi stake now vulnerable to dilution if the bank decides to sell new shares to redeem part of the US govt stake

GIC pares Citi stake and nets US$1.6b profit

The Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) has sold nearly half its shares in Citigroup for a profit of US$1.6 billion, leaving it with a 4.9 per cent stake in the US bank.

Far Eastern Economic Review to end 63-year run in December

Dow Jones and Co yesterday announced the closure of the Far Eastern Economic Review, which from 1946 chronicled Asia’s miraculous post-war recovery but has fallen victim to the Internet age.

Even millionaires need to budget now

Someone with US$100 million has nothing to fear, not even fear itself. But not long ago, a client with such assets called and asked Bruce Bickel, her wealth adviser at PNC Wealth Management, to put her on a budget.

CIC to take slice of Noble for US$850m

China Investment Corp (CIC), China’s giant sovereign wealth fund, is buying a 15 per cent stake in Singapore-listed Noble Group for US$850 million. This marks CIC’s latest move into the resources sector.

Jailed former Taiwanese president petitions US

“What he fears is that there may be fewer and fewer people caring about his case,” Hsu said. “Only by attracting more public attention, positive or negative, can he continue to speak out on various political issues and be influential.”

Just to show how low and cheap can Ah Bian gets. He proclaimed Taiwan to be an independent country when he was president, but now says Taiwan belongs to US while in jail. This kind of people would not blink even to sell his mother to whorehouse to save his own ass. And also to show how blind and stupid his DPP followers were.

In China, Philanthropy as a New Measuring Stick

As the 10th anniversary of his company approached this month, Jack Ma sat down and penned a note to his 15,000 employees at Alibaba Group. The chief executive reflected briefly on the success of his enterprise, which in a decade has become an e-commerce juggernaut with more than 100 million users and has vaulted him into the ranks of China’s ultrarich. But the bulk of his message concerned another theme: philanthropy.

Ernst & Young settles Akai case, suspends audit partner

Ernst & Young admitted one of its Hong Kong partners may have tampered with evidence the firm provided to the court in defence of the case. The partner in question, Edmund Dang, has been suspended pending further inquiries.

Shipbuilders become ship breakers to remain afloat

Ren Yuanlin, the chairman of Yangzijiang Shipyard, said the nation’s sixth-largest shipyard could earn much more money from scrapping ships than building them.

Wall Street pay reform needed to prevent another crisis

In the grim period that followed Lehman’s failure, it seemed inconceivable that bankers would, just a few months later, be going right back to the practices that brought the world’s financial system to the edge of collapse. At the very least, one might have thought, they would show some restraint for fear of creating a public backlash.

Far Eastern Economic Review to shut down in December

The Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER), one of Asia’s most respected English-language news magazines, will close in December, its owner Dow Jones and Co. has announced.

Jail for pushing China envoy

Wang Ting-yu, a city councillor in the southern city of Tainan, received a four-month jail sentence for assault from the district court there on Monday, 11 months after the incident.

1949: The untold story

A new book unearths seldom-heard tales of the pain that came with Communist victory

Crude palm oil prices forecast to increase

Stock valuations in the plantations sector are looking less attractive despite a higher earnings outlook, as most are now trading at or above their historical average price multiples, says Citigroup.

Economic crisis? Not for gourmet tea

Exotic flavours find an almost religious following; sales soar

Financial advisers defend stance on exit offers

They say claims that they endorse deals unfair to minority investors are off the mark

Investors should stay long, but stay nimble

Chart watchers would no doubt be busy this week fine-tuning their analyses of the Straits Times Index with the key questions being whether the buying of the dips will continue and if so, would they eventually be strong enough to ensure the 2,700 mark is convincingly reclaimed.

Risk of pullback subsiding, for now

So much for the September swoon. On Wall Street, plenty of money managers and traders, analysts and market strategists are still talking about the inevitability of a correction. It’s something in the range of 10 to 15 per cent worth of a pullback from the lofty heights the stock market has now reached after its sickening declines in the first quarter of 2009.

The reign of tweed and elbow patches

The new celebrities of the financial crisis are savants like Krugman and Roubini

Fed call on state of recovery could send Wall Street soaring

Stocks in the United States could extend their rally and the Dow Jones Industrial Average could climb above 10,000 points should the Federal Reserve’s policymakers and economic data support the view that the economy is recovering from recession.

HDB’s affordability benchmark is not reasonable

For every resale flat that is sold, another house has to be provided for unless the occupant is emigrating from Singapore. So the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of HDB flats in Singapore doesn’t mean that there are hundreds of thousands of HDB flats available for people’s choosing. Just like there are 400,000 cars in Singapore doesn’t mean that there are 400,000 second hand cars available for people to choose and buy from.

Marry rich, divorce and become a millionaire

So, for the moment, the conclusion remains evident. If you are wealthy and male, avoid marrying in Britain. Or, better still, avoid marrying a Brit.

Private equity firms sharpen their focus

Asia’s private equity markets have not been crushed by the downturn that has dried up deal flow in Europe and North America, but they have been transformed by it nonetheless. Deal value in Asia fell by a third last year from 2007, less than half the fall-off suffered in the developed economies, and is already showing strong signs of recovery.

Threats, drama all in day’s work for liquidator

Vincent Fok Hei-yu is not an action movie star. But on any given day, he may find himself acting like one - caught in a car chase, talking a would-be suicide down from a rooftop, or negotiating with a kidnapper.

Bleaker outlook for mainland developers

Predicting that mainland developers will experience a less favourable business environment in the second half of the year, analysts say industry players who failed to achieve strong earnings in the first half face a dimmer outlook.

Amazon fast becoming world’s general store

In an increasingly digital age, Amazon is quickly becoming the world’s general store. Alongside the books and CDs and DVDs are diapers, Legos and power drills, and more arcane items like the Jackalope Buck taxidermy mount (US$69.97).

Injustice reigns too close to home

A Texan and a patriotic citizen share the same fighting spirit in their battle for compensation