Category: Southeast Asia
Exploits in Southeast Asia
Myanmar: Yangon property prices surpass LA and Dubai
The dilapidated city of Yangon, Myanmar's commercial center, which is plagued by brown outs and derelict infrastructure, is becoming a surprisingly hot property market, as I reported on August 14 for Inside Investor. Ironically, the city's shortcomings -- as well as the privatization of previously government-owned estates -- are actually a major contributor to skyrocketing …
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Myanmar: Has the former pariah state crossed the diplomatic Rubicon?
Possibly the last significant "frontier economy" in Asia, Myanmar's choice to slide down the totem pole of tyranny has led to rekindled economic relations with the West, most recently the US, which now allows businesses to invest in the country after a 15-year hiatus. Today I wrote a blog post for investvine.com, the news portal …
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Education Malaysia: Formal Mondays
IN one of those "through the looking glass" moments I get being an expat in Asia, I was handed a student guide last week which outlined the enforcement of a "Formal Day" every Monday at the university in Kuala Lumpur I am (thankfully) leaving soon. The rules of Formal Monday instantly struck me as being …
Lynas: The Rare Earths Ruckus in Malaysia
Until recent debate gave life to the sodden term, the only thing rare about rare earths was the existence of general knowledge surrounding the commonly occurring 17 "tacked-on elements" found at the bottom of the periodic table. China's current grip of the market, responsible for producing 95 to 97 percent of the metals necessary for …
Justin Calderón 