Author: stlplace

Xinhua Finance Media XFML Update

Post author By stlplace
Post date May 20, 2007
No Comments on Xinhua Finance Media XFML Update

Reading Time: < 1 minute

I really don’t want to talk this stock any more. But thought I may shed some light on this company’ new controversy, here is an article from market watch. To put long words short, Xinhua Finance Media Limited, failed to mention its CFO was under SEC investigation in its IPO prospectus. I don’t know legal side of the things, it seems they failed at least the investors. Similar things can be said for its underwriters?

Separately, I received their paper prospectus in the mail a while ago. This thing is about 400 pages, about 2 inches thick. I don’t know why they send this in the paper (investors can always read it online). Maybe they could boost their printing division’s revenue a bit by doing this.

Tags XFML, Xinhua-Finance

China

Some China Job Search Sites

Post author By stlplace
Post date May 20, 2007
No Comments on Some China Job Search Sites

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Since I am on this topic, let me put up some sites may be helpful to Haigui or expatriates. Note I still think for ordinary person like me, doing a software engineer job in the US is usually easier than doing similar things in China, unless you are in Silicon Valley. But one can argue China has more opportunites (career/business). Also for most of us we have family and friends back home, both are important. Life is not only about work and money, right?

1) Monster HK: biggest job search site in the world, that’s the Asia site.

2) amCham Shanghai: America Chamber of Commerce job site, it has some expat jobs.

Tags china-jobs

Business China

Where are All These Jobs?

Post author By stlplace
Post date May 19, 2007
No Comments on Where are All These Jobs?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

One thing I noticed during China trip is it’s difficult for college graduates to find a decent paid job. This applies to the graduate student too. I don’t have statistics but this is what I heard from friends, relatives, and the media. This reminds me a similar trend in the US, in recent years college graduates here had a hard time to find jobs too. Things improved as the US economy recovered from the recession.

China job seekers

Tags globalization

China Stocks

China Central Bank Raised the Rate

Post author By stlplace
Post date May 18, 2007
No Comments on China Central Bank Raised the Rate

Reading Time: < 1 minute

You can read all this in JRJ.com if you know Chinese. My take on this is policy only works when market does not anticipate this. This time China Central Bank did give the investors (speculators) a surprise. But fundamentally, the growth of economy won’t slow down, and the company earning growth should continue for a while. Even in the short term, it may embolden the speculators because this removes another cloud (expect no interest hike for a while). People simply won’t move money from stock back to savings to get the 0.27% interest increase.

I think these two reasons also explains why the stock market is so hot in China?

Tags China-interest-rate

Business Fun

Free Coffee at Borders

Reading Time: < 1 minute

I got it in email. The Seattle’s Best Coffee is opening stores in the Borders Creve Coeur and South county stores (it already opened in Borders Chesterfield and Brentwood). Here is the link for coupon.

As you may know, Starbucks also started in Seattle in 1970s.

Tags borders, seattles-best-coffee, starbucks

Stocks

Starbucks Continues the Slide

Post author By stlplace
Post date May 16, 2007
No Comments on Starbucks Continues the Slide

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Reuters has an excellent article on this. I don’t need to say anything more. Yes I will buy more Starbucks if it hits 27.

Separately, I started the trial offer of Netflix, the online DVD (movie) rental service. It’s very easy to use, and one important feature I notice is: they will always send a new movie (according to viewer interest, the moive queue) once the user returns the old one. Sounds like they are trying to get the user addicted to the movie?

Seriously I think the coffee and movie are in the business of “cheer people up”.

Tags coffee, movie

Stocks

Markets Mindray openIPO etc.

Post author By stlplace
Post date May 15, 2007
No Comments on Markets Mindray openIPO etc.

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Today is Tuesday May 15, the Chinese market had a huge sell down today. I don’t know the reason (sometimes the market doen’t need any reason to go down or up). But I think it’s a healthy thing for the China market has some down days in addition to the up days. Good “market risk” education for the new comers.

Tags Clean-Energy-Fuel-IPO

China Stocks

Mixed Bag from Mindray First Quarter

Post author By stlplace
Post date May 14, 2007
1 Comment on Mixed Bag from Mindray First Quarter

Reading Time: 2 minutes

This is the report. From the Conference call, it appears they made a mistake on the announcement, I believe there was a typo on the first bullet (should be 40% rather than 24.7% YoY if exclude the large bid in 2006)

My comments on the results:

Tags 2007-Q1-report, Mindray, MR

Fun

Gas Price is Up

Reading Time: < 1 minute

I saved an invoice of gas before the trip (early March), it was 2.379 per gallon. When I came back, it went up to 3.049 at the same Shell gas station at my neighbourhood. I don’t know what happened. Maybe I paid too much attention to the Chinese stock market and lose what’s happening in the middle east and Nigeria? One thing I do know is the crude oil price did not change too much during this period.

Tags gas-price, postage-rate-raise