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“We are very concerned with what’s happening in Panama, or to put it another way, what’s not happening.” — Jeffrey Owens, director of the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration Earlier this month, a group of tax commissioners, finance ministers, and NGO representatives descended upon Los Cabos, Mexico for the 5th annual
First of all I really appreciate all of your thoughts and comments this week; I would definitely encourage you to spend a few minutes reading the comments on ‘Give me Liberty or Give me Boarding Pass’ posted on Tuesday. One question in particular that I would like to address came from Amanda: “Simon
Roughly $100 billion. Even in today’s world where politicians throw out the word ‘trillion’ as if it were a casual dinner garnish, $100 billion is still a lot of money… especially when you’re desperate to sustain glimmers of economic growth and trying to plug a budget shortfall that amounts to 13% of GDP.
I’m in the United States through the end of next week out of necessity… I need to tie up some loose ends (read: taxes!). Once I get my confession mailed out to Uncle Sam, I’ll be out the door once again. Whenever I am in the United States, I always think deep thoughts
Updated 9/23/2009 (thanks JES) People ask me this question a lot– what’s the best way to diversify US dollar holdings into other currencies? Well, ‘best’ is certainly relative… I prefer commodities and precious metals as a way to protect my savings, but I can’t exactly pay my American Express bill with the bullion
He was brown. A few inches shy of 6 feet tall and well-dressed in a tailored suit, my guess was that he was of Lebanese origin given his easy command of French, English, and Arabic… but regardless, he was standing in the US citizen line at the airport immigration checkpoint. I don’t know
“Dear Simon- Jeff Clark from Growth Stock Wire recently wrote that ‘China is a fraud’ and that ‘If Americans aren’t buying big-screen TVs or $100 sneakers, Chinese stocks are ultimately headed for trouble.’ I would like your opinion on his view.” Great question. I like Jeff Clark and generally agree with his analysis…
I’m flipping through channels at 1am here in Seoul, and do you know what I see? Math problems– nutty professors, Korean-style, working out complex partial differential equations and geometric progressions with the intensity and flair of a concert pianist. In fact, it’s not just one channel… it’s five, roughly 20% of the entire
Gold is quickly reaching the mania phase in China, and there are clear signs of it on the ground. About a month ago, we reported that for the first time ever, the Chinese government is promoting gold and silver as investments. And by “promoting,” we meant cramming it down people’s throats. We knew
If you’re an entrepreneur and want to make an absolute fortune, you need to head to Asia. The last several weeks on the ground here have only reinforced my long-held premise that Asia’s economies represent vast, wide open potential. These economies are growing, and shall continue to grow thanks to solid macroeconomic fundamentals
There are a lot of people in the financial community, including a few notable figures, that are highly bearish if not outright suspect of China’s growth. I’m always puzzled by this opinion. I’ve been to the country several times before and keep regular tabs with influential players and insiders, and my own assessment
“Simon – Are you ever available for a consult? I have several business related questions I would like to review.” Each day, without fail, people ask if they can hire me to help them with their problems… these are usually unique in nature ranging from “I want to liquidate and move somewhere” to
Today I found out first hand how much Chinese are looking to avoid taxes. I attended a conference today sponsored by the government of Labuan, Malaysia at the Grand Hyatt here in Shanghai. Labuan is Asia’s newest financial center, and the government there is heavily courting wealthy Chinese investors and businesses to migrate
In full disclosure, I am heavily biased. Hong Kong is one of my favorite cities in the world. Remember those ‘7 expat categories?‘ well, I am definitely a mix of several… maybe all. But Hong Kong ticks all the boxes for me, and always has– I’ve been coming here for years and love
I’ve explored Singapore in the past, but on this particular trip I really wanted to broaden my understanding of the country’s legal framework and financial infrastructure. With only 72-hours on the ground, I would have to work fast… so the trip was a whirlwind tour of bankers, lawyers, gold dealers, corporate secretaries, and
