Andrew West

After the NASDAQ Composite Index slid 33% from March 27th to its dramatic one-day decline on April 14th, most people weren't sure what had happened - or why it happened. The financial press was in an uproar trying to make sense of everything, and even now, dozens of...

Despite claims that economics and politics are separate and distinct in Hong Kong and China, the PetroChina IPO certainly would suggest otherwise. In the first week of April, PetroChina finally completed its beleaguered IPO, issuing 10 percent of its share capital....

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 crisis. Though...

Despite claims that economics and politics are separate and distinct in Hong Kong and China, the PetroChina IPO certainly would suggest otherwise. In the first week of April, PetroChina finally completed its beleaguered IPO, issuing 10 percent of its share capital....

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, I'm reminded of that scene whenever a company...

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...

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 crisis. Though...

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...

Covering International equities over the last decade has been an interesting experience. Emerging markets in Asia and Latin America have gone through a couple of rounds of boom and bust, compressing into a few short years as much euphoria and desperation as most...

A lot of friends who dabble in the stock market have been calling me lately to pick my brain about this or that Internet stock. Of course, any word of caution or concern I express over lofty valuations invariably falls on deaf ears. God forbid I actually say anything...

Stock market indexes and market leadership has been growing increasingly concentrated in a small number of stocks and sectors. Professional portfolio managers often react to this market concentration by allocating more money to fewer stocks, reducing their...

I've worked as an equity analyst and portfolio manager for about eight years now, focusing on international markets. The question that I and most others in my profession are constantly asking ourselves is, "is the market wrong about this?" As a general rule, I think...

In my last article, I talked about the contradictory nature of the economic theories representing various schools of thought, and the fact that some of the most useful theories, those of the Supply-side school, are receiving the least amount of attention. Many of the...

The rate hike by the Federal Reserve has spurred a lot of discussion and a lot of disagreement about inflation and the economy. While differing opinions in economics have always been a reality, I thought it would be a good idea to clear the air a bit and go over the...

Political news shook Taiwan's economy last week. The tumultuous chain of events began with a cancelled power project, led to a cabinet shakeup, a warning to investors, and then a run on the stock market. Afterwards, Taiwan 's recently elected President Chen Shui-bian...

Government leaders have, for centuries, bemoaned the imagined ills of trade deficits. Kings of ancient yore endeavored to achieve surpluses to fund their wars. Dictators of all stripes have carefully sheltered their economies from foreign goods. Because of this...