Evening Bamboo Insight: 04 Aug 2014

August 4, 2014 Leave a comment

Evening Bamboo Insight: 04 Aug 2014

Macro

  1. The 30-minute meeting that derailed a £3bn merger; Blafour Beatty and Carillion had been engaged in merger talks for two months, but in one short meeting the once-cordial negotiations broke down

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/epic/bby/11007804/The-30-minute-meeting-that-derailed-a-3bn-merger.html

  1. Junk-Debt Liquidity Concerns Bring Sales; Investors Worry Exiting Positions Could Get Harder

http://online.wsj.com/articles/junk-debt-liquidity-concerns-bring-sales-1407094194

  1. Next crisis will be worse: Jim Rogers

http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/premium/top-stories/next-crisis-will-be-worse-rogers-20140804

  1. Can ETFs Be Derailed? ETFs have been a terrific innovation for investors, but they’re not without risk. What you should keep an eye on.

http://online.barrons.com/news/articles/SB50001424053111904780504580049990149821472

  1. Corporate Italy’s new number rings out at Telecom Italia; The company’s chairman says the group now reflects a change in the country’s business culture

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/52f3f1ec-1896-11e4-a51a-00144feabdc0.html#axzz39ODBJqIB

  1. Race and religion in South-East Asia: The plural society and its enemies; Our departing South-East Asia correspondent explains how the “plural society” remains key to understanding the region’s problems

http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21610285-our-departing-south-east-asia-correspondent-explains-how-plural-society-remains-key

Asia Pacific

  1. (China) – QR codes to help China’s lost seniors find way home

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140802000044&cid=1303

  1. (China) – Daddy dearest: the fathers of China’s top ten entrepreneurs

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140802000028&cid=1206

  1. (China) – Is anti-graft anti-growth? Weighing the economic impact of the anti-corruption campaign in China

http://www.economist.com/news/china/21610316-weighing-economic-impact-anti-corruption-campaign-anti-graft-anti-growth

  1. (Spore/Macro) – Tougher action needed on dubious share trades

http://business.asiaone.com/print/news/tougher-action-needed-dubious-share-trades

http://news.asiaone.com/print/news/mailbox/sgx-takes-serious-view-market-misconduct

  1. (Japan) – Who wants to be a billionaire? SoftBank academy vets Japan entrepreneurs

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/03/us-softbank-academia-idUSKBN0G30RF20140803

  1. (China) – Banks Angling for China IPO Hired a CEO’s Daughter; As banks angled to participate in the IPO of China’s Tianhe Chemicals, three of them-UBS, Investec and J.P. Morgan Chase-hired the daughter of the CEO

http://online.wsj.com/articles/banks-angling-for-china-ipo-hired-a-ceos-daughter-1406910827?mod=asia_home

  1. (Thai) – Thai AirAsia Charts Course Out of Crises; Budget Carrier Emerges From a Tumultuous Decade; CEO Tassapon Credits ‘Smooth’ JV With Fernandes

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB30001424052702304356804580058661638502920?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB30001424052702304356804580058661638502920.html

  1. (Spore) – Fitch: Commission-Free Sales Positive for Singapore Insurers

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/04/fitch-commission-free-sales-positive-for-idUSFit71326220140804

  1. (Isia) – “Jakarta will be for creative entrepreneurs only — those whose income is better than that of beggars. Jakarta offers many opportunities to newcomers, so long as they are honest, willing to work hard, and are creative.”

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/jakarta/indonesias-big-cities-face-migration-woes/

  1. (Korea) – How Korea became the world’s coolest brand

http://business.financialpost.com/2014/08/02/how-korea-became-the-worlds-coolest-brand/

  1. (China) – Hunting Tigers in China: The question today is not whether Xi has amassed enough authority to effect change in China (he has), but whether he has built a coalition capable of advancing his declared goal of reviving pro-market reforms

http://www.project-syndicate.org/print/minxin-pei-explores-the-limits-of-chinese-president-xi-jinping-s-anti-corruption-campaign

  1. (Philippines) – Strained Infrastructure in Philippines Erodes the Nation’s Growth Prospects

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/04/business/international/strained-infrastructure-in-philippines-erodes-the-nations-growth-prospects.html?ref=business

  1. (China) – China Experiences a Booming Underground Market in Child Surrogacy

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/03/world/asia/china-experiences-a-booming-black-market-in-child-surrogacy.html?ref=health

  1. (India) – Hope grows that Modi will cut bureaucracy to foster business

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/d311b2c0-17af-11e4-b842-00144feabdc0.html#axzz39ODBJqIB

  1. (India) – India bank chief arrested in bribery probe

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/455963b4-1ada-11e4-b649-00144feabdc0.html#axzz39ODBJqIB

  1. (India) – The Consequences of Indian Obstructionism; Narendra Modi portrays himself as a pro-growth reformer, but he is behaving like an economic nationalist

http://online.wsj.com/articles/the-consequences-of-indian-obstructionism-1407085258

  1. (India) – Reliance Industries: Reimagining Ambani; Mukesh Ambani, India’s most powerful tycoon, could make his country a better place. But he would have to change his company’s ways

http://www.economist.com/news/business/21610238-mukesh-ambani-indias-most-powerful-tycoon-could-make-his-country-better-place-he-would

Life

  1. Free Advice From Charlie Munger, Seth Klarman; “If it is wisdom you’re after, you’re going to spend a lot of time on your ass reading. In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn’t read all the time,”

http://www.benzinga.com/general/education/14/07/4734928/free-advice-from-seth-klarman-charlie-munger

  1. How to Pitch Yourself: A Lesson from Young Eudora Welty’s Impossibly Charming Job Application to The New Yorker

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2014/05/12/eudora-welty-new-yorker-application-letter/

  1. The family behind Wilkinson, one of Britain’s biggest privately owned retailers, has split after 84 years of running the business

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/11008129/Wilkinson-family-split-after-84-years-in-retail.html

  1. Your Unwanted Gift Cards Are Worth Millions–These Guys Are Building An Empire With Them

http://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2014/07/30/your-unwanted-gift-cards-are-worth-millions-these-guys-are-building-an-empire-with-them/print/

  1. Here’s Why LinkedIn Founder Reid Hoffman Refused To Buy A Really Fancy Car

http://www.businessinsider.sg/linkedin-founder-reid-hoffman-acura-car-2014-8/#.U92hWvmSxqU

  1. Alan Watts: Why Modern Civilization is a Vicious Circle; “The animal tends to eat with its stomach, and the man with his brain. When the animal’s stomach is full, he stops eating, but the man is never sure when to stop.”

http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/07/alan-watts-the-wisdom-of-insecurity/

  1. Changing How We Think

http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/07/changing-how-we-think/

  1. Books – Diaminds: Decoding the Mental Habits of Successful Thinkers

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0802099912

  1. Getting Over Procrastination

http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/a-procrastination-gene

  1. Ingenious: Robert Sapolsky; The primatologist and neurologist talks turbulence-teens, stress, and the information age

http://nautil.us/issue/15/turbulence/ingenious-robert-sapolsky

  1. “The deep opposite of attention isn’t distraction, but absorption. No one ever tells you to “pay absorption.” Absorption is what occurs when you immerse yourself in something you love doing.”

http://www.iasc-culture.org/THR/THR_article_2014_Summer_Edmundson.php

  1. Learning to talk through our differences

http://news.asiaone.com/print/news/asian-opinions/learning-talk-through-our-differences

  1. Peter Drucker’s favorite book on leadership

http://www.capitalideasonline.com/articles/index.php?id=4710

  1. To Forgive Design: Understanding Failure

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674065840/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl

http://www.valuewalk.com/2014/08/engineering-failures

  1. Computer Programming Is a Trade; Let’s Act Like It; That Would Help Offset Supply-and-Demand Mismatch

http://online.wsj.com/articles/computer-programming-is-a-trade-lets-act-like-it-1407109947

  1. Science Is Not Democratic

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2014/08/03/science-is-not-democratic/print/

  1. How to cut it in kitchenware innovation; From chute chopping boards to square colanders, twins Richard and Antony Joseph explain huge success in kitchenware design

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/aug/03/joseph-joseph-how-cut-it-kitchenware-innovation

  1. Chief economists are the new marketers

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/storyline/wp/2014/07/28/chief-economists-are-the-new-marketers/

  1. From dating to job prospects, a name has remarkable power over the path of its owner’s life

http://qz.com/243974/your-name-has-remarkable-power-over-the-path-of-your-life/

  1. This Story About What Larry Page Was Like In College Perfectly Explains Why He’s The Right Person To Lead Google

http://www.businessinsider.sg/larry-page-young-2014-7/#.U978iPmSxqU

TMT

  1. YRC Worldwide CFO: How Truckers Are Using Big Data to Overhaul Pricing

http://blogs.wsj.com/cfo/2014/08/01/yrc-worldwide-cfo-how-truckers-are-using-big-data-to-overhaul-pricing/?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_cfo

  1. (Korea/Tech) – From Tsunami Lifeline to Listing, Line Sends Message to Chat Rivals

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/business/tsunami-lifeline-listing-line-sends-message-chat-rivals/

  1. Wealth Managers Enlist Spy Tools to Map Portfolios; Companies like Addepar are using data-filtering techniques honed at spy agencies to help track and value clients’ diverse holdings

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/04/technology/wealth-managers-enlist-spy-tools-to-map-portfolios.html?ref=business&_r=0

  1. Nickelodeon’s Digital Generation

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/04/business/media/nickelodeons-digital-generation.html?ref=business

  1. Where Tech Is Taking Us: A Conversation With Intel’s Genevieve Bell who is convinced we are at a rare period of social change, with the explosion of digital intelligence into every part of our lives

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/08/02/where-tech-is-taking-us-a-conversation-with-intels-genevieve-bell/?_php=true&_type=blogs&ref=technology&_r=0

  1. EMC: Ready to Come Out From Under a Cloud; Facing pressure from an activist investor, the data-storage company might spin off its VMware unit

http://online.barrons.com/news/articles/SB50001424053111903849404580057642727256462?mod=BOL_hp_highlight_2

  1. (Korea/Tech) – Samsung in Transition; “Investors who were in Samsung for quick money are gone”

http://online.barrons.com/news/articles/SB50001424053111903849404580057463322453810?mod=BOL_hp_popview

  1. (Tech/Japan/Korea) – S. Korea, Japan to face off in global battery market

http://news.mk.co.kr/english/newsRead.php?sc=30800001&cm=Top%20Story&year=2014&no=1055306&selFlag=&relatedcode=&wonNo=&sID=308

Consumer

  1. Famed Indian Scout Finds Its Way Back To Modern Motorcycle Market; Polaris Industries is resurrecting the Indian brand and challenging the industry kingpin, Harley-Davidson

http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller/2014/08/03/famed-indian-scout-finds-its-way-back-to-modern-motorcycle-market/print/

  1. (China/Consumer) – McDonald’s Boosts China Orders At Brazil’s Marfrig, Local Billionaire’s Fujian Sunner

http://www.forbes.com/sites/russellflannery/2014/08/02/mcdonalds-boosts-china-orders-at-brazils-marfrig-local-billionaires-sunner/print/

  1. A Tale of Two Dollar Stores: Why the discount-chain merger is bad news for poor shoppers

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/04/opinion/a-tale-of-two-dollar-stores.html?ref=opinion

Healthcare

  1. There Is An ‘Enormous’ Conflict Of Interest In The Medical Publishing Industry That Is Stymieing Research In Rare Diseases

http://www.businessinsider.sg/medical-publishing-industry-paradox-2014-8/#.U978dvmSxqU

Investing Process

  1. Focus Investing Series Part 3: The Munger Network of Mental Models

http://cdn1.valuewalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Munger-Mental-Models1.pdf

Filed under Daily Insight

About bambooinnovator
Kee Koon Boon (“KB”) is the co-founder and director of HERO Investment Management which provides specialized fund management and investment advisory services to the ARCHEA Asia HERO Innovators Fund (www.heroinnovator.com), the only Asian SMID-cap tech-focused fund in the industry. KB is an internationally featured investor rooted in the principles of value investing for over a decade as a fund manager and analyst in the Asian capital markets who started his career at a boutique hedge fund in Singapore where he was with the firm since 2002 and was also part of the core investment committee in significantly outperforming the index in the 10-year-plus-old flagship Asian fund. He was also the portfolio manager for Asia-Pacific equities at Korea’s largest mutual fund company. Prior to setting up the H.E.R.O. Innovators Fund, KB was the Chief Investment Officer & CEO of a Singapore Registered Fund Management Company (RFMC) where he is responsible for listed Asian equity investments. KB had taught accounting at the Singapore Management University (SMU) as a faculty member and also pioneered the 15-week course on Accounting Fraud in Asia as an official module at SMU. KB remains grateful and honored to be invited by Singapore’s financial regulator Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to present to their top management team about implementing a world’s first fact-based forward-looking fraud detection framework to bring about benefits for the capital markets in Singapore and for the public and investment community. KB also served the community in sharing his insights in writing articles about value investing and corporate governance in the media that include Business Times, Straits Times, Jakarta Post, Manual of Ideas, Investopedia, TedXWallStreet. He had also presented in top investment, banking and finance conferences in America, Italy, Sydney, Cape Town, HK, China. He has trained CEOs, entrepreneurs, CFOs, management executives in business strategy & business model innovation in Singapore, HK and China.

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