Business Asia articles from January 2000

Business Asia archives from January 2000

INDIA'S $1B CLUB.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... `Infotech czars are bound to become fantastically wealthy' Massive software sales and a stock market boom is creating a new breed of super-rich business people in India Two years ago, India could boast only one billionaire -- Azim...

In brief.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... * Singapore -- Australia, Japan and Hong Kong took the top spots as Asia's most competitive telecommunications markets, displacing last year's No 1 phone market Singapore, according to a survey of businesses. The survey, Asia Pacific...

Awards reflect IT revolution.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Their names are already the stuff of legend in the cyber world. Softbank's Masayoshi Son is often dubbed "Asia's Bill Gates", Taiwan-born Jerry Yang is president of Yahoo! while India's Sabeer Bhatia was the founder of Hotmail. More...

Money flows.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... This week's Fact File looks at the levels of foreign direct investment in Asia-Pacific nations AUSTRALIA US$9.145 billion CHINA US$44 billion HONG KONG n/a INDIA US$3.351 billion INDONESIA US$4 677 billion JAPAN...

HK battles to fill IT jobs.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Jobless rate puts a brake on recovery There's something wrong with Hong Kong's bounce back from recession. Unemployment is hovering at a near-record 6 per cent and shows no sign of falling. The problem isn't a shortage of jobs but...

Freedom, repression an odd mix.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The Asian region holds the most potential in the world to become more economically open in the new century, the authors of the 2000 Index of Economic Freedom claim. Despite an overall drop in the region's level of economic freedom in the...

Travel news.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Women may be from Venus and men from Mars, but apparently one thing in common is they both hit the mini-bar when travelling. Men apparently have the biggest mini-bar bills and almost universally their favourite tipple is beer. For women the...

Asian nations repel the bug with no bite.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... A web site in Hong Kong skipped to the year 3900 and a high-rise apartment complex on the outskirts of Seoul in South Korea had its hot-water supply cut. Such glitches were rare, however, as Asia entered the year 2000 with few signs of the...

Brokers going on-line.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Asia's investors are preparing for an "electronic" future as stock exchanges in the region go on-line, according to Barton Capital Holdings director Albert Wong. He said investors would become more sophisticated traders and do the majority...

Hotel room prices to rebound in 2000.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Industry analysts are predicting an imminent rebound in hotel room prices in Hong Kong and Singapore as occupancy rates return to pre-crisis levels. However, there is disagreement on which other Asia-Pacific markets will rise in 2000,...

Millenia venue for big night.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The Ritz-Carlton Millenia dominated proceedings at last year's Best Business Hotels in Asia Awards -- and the luxury Singapore hotel is guaranteed to be in the spotlight again this year. This year's awards presentation night will be held at...

Singapore funds lose gloss.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Singapore's spectacular bull run appears to be stumbling as fund managers look to what they believe will be South East Asia's next success story, Malaysia. Singapore's Straits Times Index, which rocketed 29 per cent from late October to...

Thakral's battle to win over investors.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... For Thakral Corp, Singapore's worst-performing stock in 1999, the challenge for 2000 is convincing investors it has a workable turnaround strategy. Chinese consumers grew reluctant to spend on television sets, computers and electronics...

Telecom rivalry good for public.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Change is in the air for Singapore's profitable telecommunications industry. Significant structural reforms will begin as competition starts in the public basic telecommunication services market. On April 1, Singapore will have a...

Call to end rift with Malaysia.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Singaporean companies should not view Malaysia as a threat but instead reposition themselves to take advantage of Malaysia's resources and strengths, according to a top businessman. "The little word of advice I have is we share the big pie...

Mind your language, `Singlish' on outer.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Singlish, that sometimes incomprehensible brand of English spoken in Singapore, is under attack from the Goh Government, which has deemed its use a danger to the country's economic interest. The government, which takes pride in the clean,...

SIA eyes Virgin for Australian link.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Singapore Airlines (SIA) is seriously considering joining forces with new partner Virgin Atlantic and offer a service into the lucrative Australian market. Richard Branson's Virgin Group, in which SIA has a 49 per cent stake, plans to hold...

Six bidders for huge water plant.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Singapore's first large-scale desalination plant planned for 2005 has attracted six bidders to oversee its construction and operation, the Straits Times reported. Tenders for the desalination plant and a related powerplant, both to be...

Electronic exports fuel growth.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Singapore's economy is back at pre-crisis levels thanks to a boom in the island-state's all-important electronic exports. Economists are cranking up forecasts for further economic growth this year after electronics exports helped the...

Sales drought ends for property market.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... In a further sign that Singapore's bounce back from recession is sustainable, the government is putting up for sale three sites for building private housing units, ending a two-year drought of such sales. The three sites are expected to...

New Darwin port opens in February.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The first stage of the Northern Territory's new port facility will open in Darwin in February, Minister for Territory Ports Mick Palmer says. Palmer said the A$97 million facility, Stage I of the East Arm Port project, would allow for the...

Singapore on top again.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Singapore's PSA Corporation has again been named the world's busiest port -- beating out Hong Kong for the second year in a row. PSA saw its throughput increase to 15.9 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) last year, reflecting a...

PSA cruises into US waters.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... PSA Corporation is poised to operate its first overseas cruise terminal after winning part of a US$270 million contract for a waterfront project in San Francisco. The company said a consortium, of which it is a minority member, has...

Brisbane tonnage still rising.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The Port of Brisbane Corporation continued to grow last year despite sluggish trade with its major Asian partners, the corporation's annual report for 1998-99 has reported. The port's total tonnage in 1998-99 increased by 345,100 tonnes to...

Sea King picks up greenfield contract.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Sea King Infrastructure Ltd, which developed India's first private port in the western state of Gujarat, has won a contract to build a greenfield port in the same state. "Sea King Infrastructure has been selected for developing a...

Private fillip for Indian ports.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The port sector in India's western state of Gujarat is expected to attract about 88 billion rupees (US$2.02 billion) of private investment over the next five years, a senior official says. "We expect around 88 billion rupees will be...

Strikes could threaten Indian export growth.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... India's export performance is under threat from workforce instability that has led to strikes by port and dock workers. According to the Federation of Indian Exporters' Association (FIEO), recent strike action was costing Indian trade 8...

Throughput boost for Port Klang.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Klang Container Terminal in Malaysia registered a throughput volume of 938,924 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) last year, its third highest throughput since the privatisation of Port Klang terminal in 1986. Its managing director, Abdul...

ANZ changes focus in Asia.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... ANZ Banking Group, Australia's fourth-biggest lender, will target retail banking operations in East Asia in which it has a top-five market position as part of a review that led to the closure of its retail and private banking arms in Hong Kong....

Harvey Norman's Singapore store.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... * Sydney -- Harvey Norman Holdings, Australia's largest furniture retailer, and Singapore-based Ossia International plan to open a flagship store in Singapore in the next few months. "We want to start the business in Singapore with a large...

Hard road ahead for Hong Kong.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Hong Kong needs to work hard at maintaining its lead as a global integrator, information hub and world city to ensure its success and relevance in the future, Hong Kong Trade and Development Council chairman Dr Victor Fung says. Fung said...

ASIAWATCH.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Latest news from the region * China The United States Congress could punish China with trade sanctions if China interferes with the March 18 presidential election in Taiwan by testing missiles or using other threats of force, the...

Deficit a test for Australia.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Australia's economy is one of the "hot" performers in the troubled Asian region, but JEFF SCHUBERT(*) warns against complacency Australia is entering 2000 in an optimistic mood. The economy continues to put in a strong performance after...

China faces privatisation test.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... China enters exciting new economic territory this year as it embraces the private sector and joins the World Trade Organisation (WTO), but success in 2000 still hinges on tackling the nagging old issue of state sector reform. The main...