“Look at ’em quit!”

At the end of the classic Western, “Rio Bravo,” when the bad guys came running out of a blown-up house holding up their hands in surrender, John Wayne’s sidekick couldn’t help but exclaim “Look at ’em quit!”. These days,...

The Philippines Market: Flying off the Radar Screen

Have you ever noticed how little you hear about the Philippines market in these days? When was the last time you heard about a hot stock tip from that country? The Philippines contains a lot of people, about 72 million in fact, and it also has reasonably good...

Breaking the Tokyo Banks?

Back in 1998, the big question in Japan was which, if any, of Tokyo’s big banks could escape collapse. Burdened by massive, non-performing loans, and holding assets (like Tokyo real estate) that had plunged in value, Japan’s big banks were in a serious...

An Insolvency that is Good for Thailand

Last Wednesday, 15 March 2000), a Thai bankruptcy court declared that Thai Petrochemical Industry Plc., (TPI) was insolvent. Thai investors, while hardly jubilant, were likely to be relieved about one thing: a Thai company can no longer refuse to pay back creditors...

Rules of Rational Communication

Do not interrupt. Allow your partner to finish what he is saying. When there is a pause, politely ask, “Are you finished?” Actively listen. In other words, think about what she is saying. Look for evidence of honest misunderstandings. They are almost...