China's European Concerns

According to David Gosset,Director of the China Europe International Business School,you have a lot of worries in China about the European Union and Euro-zone.China wants them to succeed in order to counterbalance the U.S.
The big story for the business world for the next 5-10 years is the Chinese growth in consumer demand,which will shape global business.The EU has failed to lift restrictions on China,damaging its credibility in the Asian powerhouse.Europe has joined the U.S. in criticising China's failure to allow its currency to appreciate enough,resulting in trade imbalances.
On Saturday,December 25,China made a surprise hike in interest rates to cool off growth and prevent inflation.The move had only a brief,minor effect on global markets,if any-perhaps restraining them a bit.
The China Europe International Business School is located in Shanghai.Granting MBA degrees,it was officially established as an independent business school in 1994.

Cushman CEO Sees No Big Real Estate Bubble

Glenn Rufrano,CEO of global real estate firm Cushman&Wakefield,has confidence there isn't a dramatic real estate bubble in China.Real estate is growing in China,but the potential there is dramatic.He has comfort the Chinese authorities are gonna be ahead of the bubble risk,and the market will sort the rents out.
Cushman&Wakefield will absolutely see a profit this year.They are planning to hire 800 workers in Asia,Australia,the Americas and Europe.At the appropriate time,they may have an initial public offering.
Cushman&Wakefield are commercial real estate brokers and consultants.With offices worldwide,they deliver integrated solutions in listing,management and finance to landlords,tenants and investors.

World Ponders Leading Diplomat's Legacy

Today the thoughts of many around the world are dwelling on the loss of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke,U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.Mr.Holbrooke died Saturday at age 69 after a total of more than 24 hours of surgery to repair his circulatory system at George Washington University Hospital in Washington.The hospital has a specialty of treating high-ranking U.S. officials such as former Vice-President Dick Cheney.
CNN correspondent Nick Robertson said Mr.Holbrooke's level of knowledge of history was what he brought to bear.His persuasive powers and ability to be tough with tough leaders in a diplomatic way were remarkable.
Mr.Holbrooke was last in Afghanistan in late October.He had been helping with a report on the conflict in the region to be reviewed by President Barack Obama and his advisors shortly.The seasoned ambassador was a central figure in the development and implementation of the administration's AfPak regional strategy.Young Americans were dying and being wounded in Afghanistan,Mr.Holbrooke stated,so they deserve our best effort.
Richard Holbrooke was a close friend of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her husband former President Bill Clinton.He was widely admired both at home and abroad,despite-or perhaps because of- an intensity which could be off-putting.
Please also see a tribute to Mr.Holbrooke in my Extra Content blog,which you may click on in the right-hand column.

Qatar Jubilant Over World Cup

Qatar will host the first major sporting event in the Arab world as the 2022 World Cup makes its way to the Gulf state.A joyous crowd greeted the news in Doha,the Qatari capital last week.It was apparently a surprise to all,while Russia had been expected to win its bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
Qatar got a 66 out of 100 points by the technical evaluators,while the U.S. received a perfect score.Frankly,Qatar was considered a high-risk choice.Still,its plan to dismantle the stadiums after the event and rebuild them in less affluent nations could only have enhanced Qatar's appeal.Generosity went a long way,and the world's wealthiest nation in terms of per capita income took the great honor of hosting the world-entrancing football matches.
Credit Suisse estimates Qatar's income to be 109,000 dollars per capita.
Because it is classified as an Asian nation,Qatar's win means China cannot host the World Cup now until 2030 at the earliest.Qatar is located between Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on the Persian Gulf,with Saudi Arabia to the west.
Credit Suisse(CS)

European Tour Ends In Dubai

The Dubai World Championship ended the golf year for the European Tour this past weekend.Only the heat reminded one it was a desert location.The Jumeirah Golf Estates Earth course has no sand to speak of-just the ordinary bunker sand.The rest of the course is grass,trees and wood chips,with a lake to cool things off visually.
Ironically,the golfer from the coldest country,Robert Karlsson of Sweden,did the best in Dubai,winning the tournament in a second playoff with England's Ian Poulter.Poulter faltered when his first shot landed in the wood chips.After a lackluster second shot,he then made an error when he dropped his ball on top of its marker,incurring a one-shot penalty.
It was Karlsson's 11th career victory and Sweden's 6th win of the season.Overall winner of the Race to Dubai,as the European Tour is also known,was Germany's Martin Kaymer.Karlsson was awarded a golden scepter for a trophy.
Sponsors of the tournament included DP World,Emirates Air and Rolex.
Jumeirah Golf Estates has an oasis ambiance,with grass and trees throughout the luxury development.There are four golf courses.

Prince Alwaleed Buys GM Shares

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia has purchased shares of the newly relisted General Motors stock.A 1% stake in GM was acquired by the prince's holding company for about 500 million dollars.Kingdom Holding Company cited GM's global brand and strength in India and China as reasons for the purchase.The prince had been considering the acquisition for some time before last week's initial public offering.
Prince Alwaleed is also a major investor in Citigroup.He said that,under Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit,things have stabilized and we are beginning to look at growth.Citi has 2 trillion dollars in assets in 120 countries,and Vikram has surprised the market by doing a good,meticulous job.
Saudi Arabia is booming,and Dubai is trying to find its bottom.They aren't there yet,but Dubai has a good infrastructure,Prince Alwaleed observed.
General Motors(GM),Citigroup(C)