The Aft Deck's  Instablog

Will Olam Survive Muddy Waters: Sunny Verghese Vs Carson Block

Olam International Ltd is under attack from short sellers but the company looks to be holding on OK, I do not think Olam is the new Enron, and if we were to extend the theory of pre booked profits that is being spouted by the short sellers then every insurance company in the world is in bankruptcy and so are most of the banks.

Olam will survive this, and considering how much short selling would have been generated, and the net short position the company may bounce back over $2.00SGD and give the short sellers a nasty, but well deserved shock.

"There is no substance in their broad allegations," Olam said today in a statement, promising a fuller response in due course. "We will clear our name and hold Muddy Waters accountable for their damaging actions."

But instead of fighting the short sellers CEO Sunny Verghese needs to reach in to his pockets, rally his friends and burn the short sellers, it is not our opinion that the short sellers are well heeled enough to withstand much of an attack, there are plenty of rumors about the financial state of the short seller and Muddy Waters may be looking for a big winner here to salvage themselves.

Certainly I hope it is the case, it would be a shame for the reputation Singapore has built to be destroyed by the rumor and innuendo of Muddy Waters.

Sunny Verghese, here is the check list of what you need to do now.

Read More www.livetradingnews.com/will-olam-surviv...

Economist Shayne Heffernan on Dodd-Frank, The Volcker Rule and Why Asia will be World's Finance Capital

Financial Institutions around the world and especially those in Europe and the USA face a crucial set of choices about the future of their institutions.

Western Governments are riddled with debt and their only way out is decades of austerity and taxes, but the new world is a mobile world, globalization has set limits on how much a government can impose it's will on the corporations and citizenry of a nation. Excess taxes and austerity will lead to a mass financial migration to emerging markets.

For advise on moving to Asia, contact us

Having spent most of my life in Asia, I can not remember a time when so many individuals and corporations from the USA were setting up their business and lives here.

The USA Institutions are facing the biggest challenges, having survived the 2008 crisis many are now turning in good performances, however they remain stuck in a slow economy hampered by ridiculous Dodd-Frank legislation.

At the same time the Obama administration is making it even harder for them to survive in the markets Dodd-Frank has left available.

These institutions will not be crippled by the legislative climate of the USA, Instead the will reinvent themselves as global finance houses. There are of course some selective growth opportunities across the major lines of business in the USA. To rise to the challenge and capture selective growth, bankers will need to be far more innovative in restructuring their business lines and more surgical in tapping revenue opportunities and managing risk.

Financial Institutions from Wall St will join with manufacturers and service providers and seek lower taxation and better prospects in emerging markets.

Read More www.livetradingnews.com/dodd-frank-the-v...#

Almost 100 of South Korea's 600 largest companies plan to conduct corporate restructuring for an economic downturn amid growing uncertainties at home and abroad next year, a poll showed Thursday.

According to the survey on the 600 largest companies by the Federation of Korean Industries, 62% of the respondents said the economy will deteriorate in 2013.

The FKI, said it has found that 15 percent of the respondents are mapping out plans for layoffs, sales of some assets and scrapping some business sectors.

The poll showed that 46 percent of the 600 firms seen domestic demand as the key negative factor, 28 percent with worsening conditions for exports and 15 percent with rising cost burdens for raw materials.

Read More

www.livetradingnews.com/south-korea-econ...