Prices of resale HDB flats are stabilising

They have solved the problem of high prices. The resale price increase is getting smaller. COV increased from $12k to $24k in the previous quarter. The last quarter the increase was only $1k, at $25k. Good, more people now can afford to buy resale flats. Just prepare to fork out $25k first. And they are going to build another 12k flats this year and maybe more. So problem solved. Or is it? These flats will only be ready in 3 years time. In the meantime where are these people going to stay? And there are still several hundred thousand new citizens and new arrivals coming in daily. How are they going to add to the demand? How many out there are still waiting to buy their first flat and cannot afford to? And with this kind of indecent prices, is it supposed to be good? Have we reach a satisfactory equilibrium? But no need to bother now. Problem already gone. Everyone happy already. Job well done. BTO is the way to go.

A sickly feeling

We paid $350m to $400m to watch English football. And this amount is about 13% of the takings of EPL. Got it? This little piece of rock with a population of less than 4 millions financing the EPL to the tune of 13%! And Hongkong with a larger population, thus more viewership,0 paid less for the rights. Let's try to do the arithmetics. 10% of 4m is 400,000 people. If 10% of the population watch EPL, it comes to $1000 per head. If 1% watches, it will go up to $10,000 per head. Quite a sum for a past time really. Another way of looking at it, 4m people paid $400m while the rest of the world, 6b people, paid $2.6b or less than 50c each. If we take 50% of the rest of the world, it is still less than $1 each. With that kind of money, we can be a major shareholder of EPL.

Bharti Chief thanks SingTel

Bharti Chief thanks partners after signing Zain Africa deal On 03.31.10, In Mobile, By Editor . www.WirelessFederation.com/news: With the consummation of the US$10.7 billion deal with Zain Africa, Bharti Airtel chief Sunil Mittal extended his gratitude to its partner Sing Tel for providing its much needed support. As a co-promoter, SingTel holds 31 per cent stake in India-listed Bharti Airtel and therefore its support is critical to any major M&A deal by the company. According to Bharti Airtel Chairman and Managing Director Sunil Mittal who signed the deal in Amsterdam, the extremely tight time lines and the enormity of the task posed a real challenge. Bharti was able to achieve this important milestone through much hard work and support from SingTel and the external advisors. SingTel owns 31% of Bharti Airtel, can I assume it pumped in $3.2b or there about? I hope the thank you means we will bring in the profit and not a one way thing. Thanks for the contribution.

The price of over staying

Has the Thai King overstayed and creating a potentially dangerous political crisis in Thailand? Till now, he is still the most respected institution in Thailand, holding all the factional parties together. The military pledged loyalty to him, the politicians too, and the Thais obeyed his every words. What if he comes to pass? The prince and princesses will have to carve out a new mandate and relationship with all the factional parties all over again. And looking at the fragile make up of Thai politics today, it is going to be a very difficult task ahead, and chaos is the most certainty. The politicians and military will break apart as there is no dominant and accepted power to pledge loyalty to. This is how precarious Thailand has become today. What if the King has abdicated his throne a few years back and allow another King or Queen to assume the role of head of state while he retires and spend time playing with his grandchildren or romancing his kingdom while he still can? Given the few years, the new King or Queen would have worked out their own relationships with the people and political and military forces to be able to stand on their own. And when the time comes, the passing of the King would be just another day for mourning a monarch and nothing else. The failure to depart from the scene early enough is as good as planning for disaster to happen. Maybe he feels that he is indispensable and the country cannot hold together without him. Then it can only be worst when he is not around. If the incumbent King cannot hold his own fort and needs him to back him up, he is truly unfit and will definitely be dethroned when he is not around. That is an ugly fact and truth that will happen. Thailand is ready for a new chapter in history.

Punching above our weight

We punch above our weight in the international arena. We speak louder and carry more weight than countries of bigger sizes. Now we are faced with a third rate European country called Romania whose Charge Affair knocked down and killed a pedestrain and hurting a couple of others and ran away. Can we bring justice to the culprit? The culprit has been found guilty. But he had feigned illness and hiding in his home country and questioning our legal justice system, even claiming that he is being framed. And the Ambassador is resorting to telling us how difficult it is to bring him here. And he is covered by diplomatic immunity. In short, there is nothing we can do about it.b Diplomats are above the law! Let's see if we can punch above our weight and bring this rogue to pay for his misdeeds. How about breaking diplomatic relations with Romania? We don't really need them. Send them home packing.