My Anthem

Monday, December 12, 2005

BILATERAL SYNERGIES - THE MAGIC WAND

Desiderata seldom blogs on ECONOMICS/BUSINESS topics. But occasionally the time is right for one such post -- several events converging over the past week point to one important activity: tapping synergies.

SYNERGY -- the coming together of various power-holders each with its own strengths to combine into a bigger entity for greater impact and mutual benefits.
In an increasingly globalised world of competition, smaller countries or regions need to band together to suport one another or "pool common resources" in order to compete better or bargain harder.

That's a harsh reality of the marketplace. And some saner voices are beginning to be hear. Yet there will continue to be hiccups.

First, on the neighbourly front.
And it's directly on my radar screen. Tell you why alter. As I listened to this morning's news on radio, my interest perked up a notch when Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said his government is studying the possibility of cross-trading of shares of the companies listed at the Stock Exchanges of Singapore and Malaysia.

The company Desi is associated with earning some B&B -- klsetracker.com -- has just recently worked in anticipation of such an eventuality taking place, soon, by
initiating a joint project with Securities Investors Association of Singapore (SIAS) to offer Independent Equities Information on Bursa Malaysia via its portal, SIASR-klsetracker.com, which was officially launched in the republic on October 26, 2005.

klsetracker.com, according to its founder-CEO Jimmy Vong, could trace its origins to 1984 when his company I&J Sdn Bhd, which was established in 1976, began supplying fundamental data to Malaysian newspapers on listed companies in both Malaysia and in Singaopore. After the Malaysian and Singapore markets went their separate ways in 1990, followed by the formation of CLOB in Singapore for the trading of Malaysian stocks, focus was then shifted only to Malaysian stocks.

The klsetracker.com was started in 1999 in response to the then nascent pontential of the Internet as a growing medium for information products and services. Vong said the design content is based on a multi-discipline approach to stock trading.
"The tie-up with SIAS Research will add value to our Portal with their proprietary and independent rsearch," Vong added.

As Singapore and Malaysia now move into the future in promoting bilateral trade and relations and revitalising investing opportunities in their once-sister Exchanges, SIAS is taking taking another step in association with klsetracker.com in promoting the active exercise of Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware) in stock trading at the investor level.
In opreparing for the time when cross-trading is enabled, SIAS members can now avail themselves to comprehensive and independent research information on Bursa Malaysia listed stocks with a powerful selection toolkit.
The klsetracker.com has been rated by FORBES magazine as: "By far the best investment site covering the Malaysian market, KLSETracker provides a wealth of information ..." in its "Best of the Web" Review.


Vong will lead a team to take part in a presentation themed "Reflections, Confessions, Projections -- Review 2005/Preview 2006" at the HDB Hub Auditorium on Dec 13, 2005 from 7pm-9pm. A panel of speakers including the CFO of Bursa Malaysia, Chief Investment Analyst of SIAS Research, and several chiefs of Malaysian brokerages will discuss the topic: MALAYSIA-SINGAPORE CROSS BORDER TRADING:
A Malaysian Perspective.



Building bridges between two or more companies on Malaysian soil is easier than between companies of diffreent countries, in the instance stated, Malaysia and Singapore. There had been severla precedent cases when certain proposals could not advance to their logical end.

So when cooperation efforst are taken to numbers involving three or more countries -- the barriers are quite diverse and multiplied, and can pose quite a challenge, and often, POLITICS gets in the way. Yes, businesses are not conifined to businessmen alone, for "nationalism" sometimes invites the interfering hands of politicians, and this is when conflicts will overwhelm whatever potential synergies first appearing on the horizon.

Just ponder the current 11th ASEAN Summit going on in Kuala Lumpur: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will reiterate the calls made at previous meetings that the 10 ASEAN member countries must work towards unity in economic cooperation and joint programmeses, against the backdrop of a fast-growing China as an emerging world economic power, and competition for foreign investments among the member countries. It is a gargantuan task to be able to forge unity of purpose among such a big group of economies at different stages of development, with Singapore ranked right at the peak among the developed nations, and to just starters like Vietnam and Myanmar, the latter still very caught up in its internal political strife.

Theoretically, the 530 million population of the Asean countries' peoples combined represent a huge business market, but the push and pull factors at work, with each country having to interact with other foreign economic groupings other than from within ASEAN, would mean that at best, ASEAN's goal of an "economic entity" would just remain a well-meaning stated goal,but its realisation will remain on the far horizon for many years to come.

At the end of the day, bilateral ties are easier to forge and promote.
Even in our ordinary state of daily affairs, a third-party will always spin in more complications, and complexities, into any equation, dosn't it?


Analogy: the eternal love trianle?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Desi:

Could not find time nor right frame of mind to yak the past few days.

I see that you also lean towards songs of yesteryears - in fact, I am convinced that those oldies have more meaningful lyrics, sometimes almost poetic. I usually turn to them when my spirit is not just low, but down and out !

In fact, your post today brings back memories of a very "difficult" period of time for many people, especially the investors here in sing-land. With some US$ 5 billions of investments literally locked up in boleh-land, one could imagine the situations the market was in and the difficulties and losses people have to undergo at the turn of the millenium; SIAS was then formed to give a voice to the small investors and help facilitate the en-bloc disposal of their shares at
whatever price offered. Obviously, some people profited from the miseries of the very common men who did nothing wrong !

Indeed, politics is inherently dirty. Talking about 'synergy' - a MENTAL-ly s(L)ick and corrupted politician + POWer = life savings CLOBbered. Earlier on, you would remember the Pan-El case involving TanKoonSuan - many investors and stock-BROKErs went bust; many too became their own hangman (not Mr Singh).

IMHO (Warnings: I'm NO expert in fiancial securites or international economic/trade treaties): the wider the economics, politcal and cultural disparities between 2 nations, the more difficult it is for synergies to be feasible (the 'common-ness' factor is greatly diminished) and when the ugly head of "POLITICS" pop out - be it personal or national, and I'm biased to think, more often than not, it's personal - than as you rightly said ..."its realisation will remain on the far horizon for many years to come". This old baggage of politics between neighbours, dated about 2-3 generations old, should be discarded completely once and for all, if any good ideas is to have that chance to materialize and bear fruits for the common good of all the peoples of this region. JPsc does not and will not support ideas or projects that are meant purely for the national pride - JPsc abhors the sight of white elephants and as I tend to see deeper into such beasts, I usually see the fa(e)ces of the leader/s who initiate/s such wastages.

With "new" leaders here in boleh-sing-land, relatively lazy-to-gallop financial markets and relatively younger populations with insatiable desires to sing, drink and marry like you said, could be the reason for HLLee to "talk the walk and walk the talk" about cross-trading. BUTT, CLOB's memorial is not too far away !!

Cheers

chong y l said...

HiJPsc:

no worries about when t chat -- the seasons may pass us by, but sister time is always by or side.

songs of yesteryears can't be any but top grade whenyou have icons like The Beatles framing the benchmark. Yes, poetry inmsuical adventurism -- but some present hits come close -- listening to Eagles' No more cloudy days, and someone's God bleseth tis broken road ..James ? You are beautiful...
The last is my bro Imran's anthem methinks, make him do an impromptu when we meet up soon! Otherwise, no supper.

Good to hear from the horse's mouth those turbulent times affecting Msia-Sing in a most negative mode -- things seem to be heading up -- thanks to relatively new CEOs on both sides of the Straits -- yes, God indeed will bless our broken pathways. We just need to work at it from Both Sides Now -- and meet at the middle.

You referred to CLOB and investors' losses -- my lesson to share is Retail players must arm themselves with RELIABLE INFORMATION before buying any shares.

mGf J.Vong says for majority of the public, their odds/luck would have been better at Genting Highlands playing the dice than playing the Stock Makrrket on rumours and whims and fancies! Take in from us -- close to 80% of plyaers "lose money" on the market due to wild guesses or "gambling" mode than proper investing...:(

JPsc, let's go back to nostalgia and join John Wayne and Gary Cooper,Alan Ladd (3 MCPs mentioned!) maybe Marilyn Monroe (ONLY 1 lady godiva mentioned!)playing Cowboy Poker? Ladies are a distraction at the poker table, you agreeth or kNOweth?!:)

Anonymous said...

Desi:

I don't really know if ladies are any distraction at poker table, but I sure agree that these dames are big detraction at the snooker table when necklines plunge too low and hemlines raise the crow !

Er..did you mention Cowboy Poker ?
Is it a far cry from Strip Poker or Street Gang Poker ? Hey, hope I'm not sounding naughty - just that I'm out of touch and out of mind with matters of gambling and rambling.

Nostalgic humours can heal our wistful mood, thereby help suppress our stress to a level we feel blessed.

As regard your advice about market speculation, I was into subscribing to a certain 'COWan associates' reports and analysis on gold commodity (I luv nuggets - both chicken and gold) in the early 80's, and went into comex trading almost every trading night till the wee hours of the morning for quite a period of time. All the analyses could not foresee the unforseeable of the time, both our planet's political and economics turmoil and the broking companies' internal dishonest manipulations - the result: my destiny was to be rewritten. Our government had to close down some 24 broking companies, most of which were set up by the more experienced HongKongers.

Once burnt, twice shy
or once incinerated, no cry

chong y l said...

hi jpsc -- hope readers will bear with us talking shop -- at below Asean level to spraed goodwill-lah!

I have watched fRiends playing snooker -- closest I've tried was playing "carom", ot isit caroom, carum, watever...

while seated at a round table to play Cowboi Poker, sometimes the bosom lines were lowered and when the eyes detoured into wrong vistas, the othert party/parties would just trick thee in the twinkle of an eye ...(cards Xchanged!)

Hey, Desi doesn't play Strip Poker, that's for low-IQ combatants.
As I was saying, novices-FYI only, don't pray play!-Cowboyt poker entails each of the players (normally restricted to four or less)is dealt FIVE cards.
He (never a she in cowboi territory -- they havd more important tasks like distracting the Other player! and topping up the berr glasses! NO lowering of hemslines, that's for snookerers!)then decide to change any number of the 5 cards to try for a pair, triple, straight flush, four of the kind, et cetera, etc, as Yul Brynner would say. Desi only does not know how YB is relevant here, but ne'er mind, I'm on a roll cos of jpSC's winsome cnverse.
So in one's decisin making, one needs to mentally CALCULATE the "probability", so the player's mathematical ind is taxed, nurtured, nursed, watever.
Hey, jpSC, see if your Gomen needs a PR man like Desi to sell the "Casinos"-is=okay promo, you'll get the gentleman's agreed some of 30%!

To all my ERs, jpSC and Desi share someting in common -- once bitten, two times, three times, -he used da word, CLOBbered!-NOT shy in admitting it,at the stockmart, and at snooker, and at poker! Butt we have interesting stories -- some polished and embellished in teir naked glory and lowering hemlines!

Minta maaf, ia:( Sumtimes even writers need to break away from Aristotal and Shakespair!:) jpsc, rites?

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