Looks like it is not just Australia that Chinese firms are investing in.
Chinese foreign direct investment in the United States hit record levels in 2012 and shows little sign of slowing, despite lingering worries among some that the inflow of Chinese money presents a growing security risk to the country.
Chinese companies concluded deals worth $6.5 billion in 2012, an increase of 12 percent from the record $5.8 billion in 2010, according to a new report by New York-based Rhodium Group, which tracks Chinese FDI.
The most appealing US sectors to Chinese investors were oil and gas exploration, advanced manufacturing that helps Chinese firms move up the value chain, and assets that allow investors to gain solid returns such as utilities, real estate and hospitality.
Source: China Daily News
Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts
Tuesday, 1 January 2013
Sunday, 30 December 2012
The 60s - a turbulent decade for American Politics
This isn’t directed at Business, but was something that grew out of my own interest in that most turbulent of decades, the 1960s. In particular, I have read many biographies on the Kennedys, Nixon, LBJ, and books on Vietnam, the Cuban missile crisis, the assassination of JFK, and Dr Martin Luther King jnr and the Civil Rights movement.
So I slogged away and created this presentation about US history. I hope you find it interesting and it stimulates you to go find out more about an incredible yet traumatic period of modern history.
Monday, 27 February 2012
Scottish firms lead the way in conquering the US coach market
Planes were often the best way to travel in the USA. Coaches were frowned upon and the iconic Greyhound bus was often viewed as the method of transport for those running away!
Before that it was the railways that moved passengers coast to coast until 1910 when America became the land of the automobile thanks to Henry Ford.
However, the bus is making a comeback and Scottish firms are at the heart of it. Stagecoach bought out Coach USA some years back and now have a vast empire of famous yellow school buses, commuter buses, sightseeing buses and intercity buses. Stagecoach launched Megabus in the US in 2006, expanding rapidly to serve 72 major cities from hubs in Chicago and New York.
Another Scottish bus company, FirstGroup, bought over US firm Laidlaw in 2007 for $2.8bn (£1.78bn), giving it control of the 92-year-old Greyhound bus line. They launched BoltBus in 2008, initially going head-to-head with Megabus on the key New York to Washington route.
According to a new survey by DePaul University Inter-city bus travel grew by 7.1% in 2011, compared with 1.5% for air and 1.16% for rail.
PUBLIC BUS PASSENGER TRIPS IN THE US
New York - 3.2 bn
Chicago - 0.52 bn
Los Angeles - 0.48 bn
Washington DC - 0.44 bn
Boston - 0.37 bn
So how have they been so successful?
Stagecoach and FirstGroup offer tickets between major cities such as New York and Philadelphia, or Boston and Washington, for as little as $1 (63p), with typical one-way fares between $15 (£9.53) and $27 (£17.07).
They also offer free wi-fi and pick up passengers on the kerbside - rather than grotty old bus terminals has helped them become popular with more affluent passengers and lone female passengers.
The bus companies highlight the green benefits of buses, which have a lower carbon dioxide footprint than air or car travel.
US firms such as DC2NY are starting to offer similar services, but although travelers going between Washington DC and New York pay lower fares than rail or air travellers, the journey is at least an hour slower than the slowest train.
Further Reading here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16881957
Before that it was the railways that moved passengers coast to coast until 1910 when America became the land of the automobile thanks to Henry Ford.
However, the bus is making a comeback and Scottish firms are at the heart of it. Stagecoach bought out Coach USA some years back and now have a vast empire of famous yellow school buses, commuter buses, sightseeing buses and intercity buses. Stagecoach launched Megabus in the US in 2006, expanding rapidly to serve 72 major cities from hubs in Chicago and New York.
Another Scottish bus company, FirstGroup, bought over US firm Laidlaw in 2007 for $2.8bn (£1.78bn), giving it control of the 92-year-old Greyhound bus line. They launched BoltBus in 2008, initially going head-to-head with Megabus on the key New York to Washington route.
According to a new survey by DePaul University Inter-city bus travel grew by 7.1% in 2011, compared with 1.5% for air and 1.16% for rail.
PUBLIC BUS PASSENGER TRIPS IN THE US
New York - 3.2 bn
Chicago - 0.52 bn
Los Angeles - 0.48 bn
Washington DC - 0.44 bn
Boston - 0.37 bn
So how have they been so successful?
Stagecoach and FirstGroup offer tickets between major cities such as New York and Philadelphia, or Boston and Washington, for as little as $1 (63p), with typical one-way fares between $15 (£9.53) and $27 (£17.07).
They also offer free wi-fi and pick up passengers on the kerbside - rather than grotty old bus terminals has helped them become popular with more affluent passengers and lone female passengers.
The bus companies highlight the green benefits of buses, which have a lower carbon dioxide footprint than air or car travel.
US firms such as DC2NY are starting to offer similar services, but although travelers going between Washington DC and New York pay lower fares than rail or air travellers, the journey is at least an hour slower than the slowest train.
Further Reading here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16881957
Saturday, 4 February 2012
US jobs boost
The US economy created 243,000 jobs in January, the highest total for nine months, official figures show.
The rise was much more than expected. Analysts had forecast an increase of about 150,000 jobs.
The unemployment rate dropped to 8.3%, which was the lowest rate in nearly three years, and down from a revised rate of 8.5% in December.
News of the jobs growth caused shares to rocket up, with the Dow Jones index up 156 points at 12,862, its highest level since May 2008.
The Nasdaq index, which specialises in technology companies, soared to its highest level since December 2000 by the close of trading on Friday.
In Europe, the FTSE 100 index hit its highest level since July 2011 rising 1.8% while Germany's Dax closed up 1.6%. The Cac 40 in France was 1.5% higher.
Friday, 25 November 2011
South Korea agrees US trade deal at long last
South Korea's parliament has ratified a free-trade deal with the US, after years of wrangling over the issue.
Members of the ruling Grand National Party, which has a majority, convened to force the bill through in a 151-7 vote.
Most of the opposition abstained. One politician set off a tear-gas canister before the vote and others jeered as the bill passed.
The US Congress ratified the deal last month and it has now been made law.
It is America's largest free-trade deal since the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico in 1994.
The bill - first agreed in 2007 - was ratified in a snap parliamentary session.
"We have decided to push the free trade deal through parliament by voting, as it is almost impossible to reach a compromise with the opposition," GNP politician Park Jun-sun told local media.
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