Economic Growth in Latin Markets

This quote from an analytical piece on Reuters website... read more here

Which economy grew faster over the last seven years? A) President Hugo Chavez's Venezuela, famous for its forced nationalizations and "21st century socialism," or B) Chile, long renowned as a capitalist paradise for investors. It might surprise some outsiders to learn that the answer is actually A. In recent years, commodities prices have dictated growth in Latin America more than any other factor, meaning that countries could trample on businesses but still grow briskly as long as they exported plenty of raw materials such as oil and iron ore to China and elsewhere.

Latin America is on a tear, and within it, economies that are not dependent on commodities, Chile, Peru and Colombia, seem to be driving growth.  While business climate is certainly improving, certain sectors like Pharmaceuticals are facing trouble with each of these economies embarking on controlling the health care costs by implementing price controls and access hurdles.

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Words of wisdom that can help in any business

James Altucher has published a nice article on TechCrunch for first time entrepreneurs.  The wisdom in this article would be useful for any one in business.  Here is an excerpt...read the rest on Techcrunch

• Don't hire anyone...Only hire people when you are absolutely desperate for more hands. And then start with freelancers. So you can fire them right away....
• Keep the cash. ... keep cash in the bank. ...You don't need a secretary until you have at least five, paying, profitable customers, if ever.  
• Get a customer. ...Don't even start your business unless you have a customer.
• Get a customer, part II. ...Do whatever it takes to get one paying customer...
• Over-promise and over deliver for every customer. But only the first time. ...
• ...Followup. ...If you have a potential client, move it from the phone to the meeting, to dinner as quickly as possible. Dinner seals the deal. Pick up the tab. ...
• Once they are a client, make them a partner. ...The best new customers are your old customers. The second best new customers are your old customers' friends.
• In all of your spare time, do favors for your clients. ...(tap into) ... their networks...
• Fire immediately any employee with a negative attitude. ...

Published on TechCrunch

Using the Global Brands list for investing

Interbrand Global Brands List

Interbrands has published its top Global brands list. The top brand - no surprise here - Coca Cola. The list includes... 

1. Coca-Cola 71,861 ($m) 
2. IBM 69,905 ($m) 
3. Microsoft 59,087 ($m) 
4. Google 55,317 ($m) 
5. GE 42,808 ($m) 
6. McDonald's 35,593 ($m) 
7. Intel 35,217 ($m) 
8. Apple 33,492 ($m) 
9. Disney 29,018 ($m) 
10. Hewlett-Packard 28,479 ($m) 
11. Toyota 27,764 ($m) 
12. Mercedes 27,445 ($m) 
13. Cisco 25,409 ($m) 
14. Nokia 25,071 ($m) 
15. BMW 24,554 ($m) 

You can download the list and the related article at this link.

So what do we do with this data?

One way to use this list would be to use this list for investing. As Warren Buffet says, investments made in well managed companies will pay off over the long run. If you believe that the top brands list is a proxy for a list of well managed companies, then it stands to reason that investing in these companies will help your portfolio grow in the long run.

I will test this hypothesis by creating a portfolio of the top 15 brands to see how the investment in these top brands would perform over a period of one year. I will invest $1 M in these brands, distributed equally, and will see how the stocks to at the end of 2012.

This 29-Year Old Just Got Name to Starbucksboard

If you are looking for an inspiring story, here is one for your morning ruminations.  Amazing, how Ms. Shih has been going from success to success in such a short time.  The Fermi labs connection is the icing on the proverbial cake!

As a Starbucks shareholder, I applaud Starbucks decision to invite Shih to sit on the board.

This 29-Year Old Just Got Named To The Starbucks Board
http://www.businessinsider.com/this-29-year-old-just-got-named-to-the-starbucks-board-2011-12

GOOD Lite: Six DIY Alternatives to Christmas Trees, Real or Fake

Six DIY Alternatives to Christmas Trees, Real or Fake

Good magazine has some cool looking ideas for DIY Christmas tree.

Talented Terrors, "Bless Their Hearts," And Other Job Candidates You Should Avoid Like The Plague

Talented Terrors, "Bless Their Hearts," And Other Job Candidates You Should Avoid Like The Plague

Great little article on how poor attitude defines poor performers.  Author describes different kinds of poor performers, some of whom can be weeded out in the interview process

Fast Company: Malcolm Gladwell Has No Idea Why "The Tipping Point" Was A Hit

Malcolm Gladwell Has No Idea Why "The Tipping Point" Was A Hit

As part of our Leadership Hall of Fame series, we continue our fresh look at The Tipping Point with an interview of author Malcolm Gladwell. What was ...

Source: http://goo.gl/mag/9t7CM

Fast Company: You Don’t Need An Army When You Have Seal Team 6

You Don't Need An Army When You Have Seal Team 6

When I started VIA in 1993, my mother sent me a card with the famous quote from Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committe...

Source: http://goo.gl/mag/Er990

Environmental disaster in making in Argentina

Where Soy Is King: In Argentina, Local Health Costs Rise As Agro Booms


A soy field in San Pedro, Argentina (Irargerich)



By Christine Legrand
LE MONDE/Worldcrunch

SAN JORGE -- Located about 600 kilometers from Buenos Aires, San Jorge is a tidy town of about 25,000 in Santa Fe, one of Argentina's most agriculture-rich provinces. In the poor Urquiza neighborhood, a single dirt road separates the house of Viviana Peralta from an expanse of soy fields, where herbicides and pesticides are regularly sprayed down from small airplanes.

It took a while, but eventually the young Argentine mother connected the dots: the acute asthma attacks her baby daughter Ailen suffered were triggered each time a crop duster buzzed over her house. At a nearby hospital, a pediatrician later confirmed the presence of glyphosate in Ailen's blood.

Glyphosate is the principal active ingredient in Roundup, a herbicide developed and marketed by Monsanto, an American company. It has been widely used in Argentina since 1997. When it is sprayed on the country's soy fields, Roundup kills all of the weeds it comes in contact with, but spares the Roundup Ready (RR) soy beans, which have been genetically modified to be Roundup resistant.

In San Jorge, cancer rates have spiked 30% in the past 10 years. Residents say that following a crop dusting, their lips turn blue and their tongues swell. Chickens die. Dogs and cats shed their hair. Bees disappear and birds become scarce.

After she was ignored by municipal authorities, Peralta decided to turn to the courts. A judge agreed to hear the case that she, along with 23 other neighborhood families, presented against the Argentine government, provincial authorities and soy producers.

On March 17, 2009, the court issued a historic verdict, prohibiting airplanes from crop dusting within 1,500 meters of residences, and tractors from spraying within 800 meters of people's homes.

But this verdict, and other new regulations, are not always respected.

Beyond the Genome, Cancer’s Secrets Come Into Sharper Focus

Beyond the Genome, Cancer's Secrets Come Into Sharper Focus - NYTimes.com

The story of cancer continues to evolve!

Preferred vs Common Stock

If you want to learn about the difference between Preferred Stock and Common Stock, check out this post. But I think the most valuable part of the post is this quote

In life you don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate

And if you are looking for a good book on negotiation, the one called "Getting More" by Stuart Diamond is incomparable!