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Shaw Capital Fraud And Boiler Room Reports | World Headlines: Shaw Capital Management

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Penny Dreadful Productions (PDP) has successful grand opening on Main Street in Duluth. Congratulations Penny Dreadful Productions (PDP) on the successful grand opening of The Boiler Room, the first American Steampunk store and studio, last Saturday (May 21) on Main Street in Historic Downtown Duluth. What a day of festivities starting with the doors opening at 10 a.m. to find Danny Hunter of Buford as the first patron in line. A Dragoncon and Steampunk fan, Danny was interested in having PDP make a Steampunk costume he conceptually designed.

Shaw Capital Management World Financial News:Students conned out of loans in fake email swindle

AROUND 50 students in Yorkshire are believed to have been conned by a suspected email scam which has seen their loan payments go missing after they were tricked into giving their personal details.

The victims are thought to have responded to a bogus email claiming to be from Sheffield Hallam University informing students that they could qualify for extra financial support.

The students were asked to supply personal information to see if they were eligible to receive a new bursary.

An investigation is underway to establish how this information was used to change the details on 50 loan payments which were due to go into the undergraduates’ accounts last month.

Maintenance loans are paid to students three times a year and it is feared that tens of thousands of pounds could have been diverted through the suspected scam.

South Yorkshire Police, the university and the Students Loan Company are now investigating.

Sheffield Hallam is also working to support students suffering financial hardship as a result of the loans not reaching their accounts.

A spokeswoman for the university said: “We are aware that some of our students may have been targeted in a phishing scam, which may have affected their funding with the Student Loans Company.”

Both the university and the Students Loan Company have confirmed that around 50 students are believed to have been affected.

A statement from the company said: “Students at Sheffield Hallam University have alerted us to a scam which may have resulted in their personal details being accessed by a third party.

“We are working with the university to investigate the extent of this and the police have been informed. To ensure that we minimise the risk of further incidents, we have put in place additional security measures.

“We understand the university has put in place support measures that will assist any student who may be at risk of financial hardship as a result of this.”

Caroline Dowd, president of the Students’ Union at Sheffield Hallam University, has warned students not to hand out their personal details. South Yorkshire Police has urged any students who have been affected to contact them on 0114 2202020

Shaw Capital Management World Financial News:Telephone scam makes rounds in area

MANISTIQUE – Residents of Schoolcraft County are being warned about a telephone scam in Schoolcraft County.

Manistique Public Safety Director Ken Golat said there have been numerous attempts in the past several weeks to fraudulently obtain banking account information.

The attempts have been made by a telephone call, whereby the caller states that he or she represents a local bank or financial institution in the Manistique area.

The caller then advises the intended victim their account has been compromised and that they need their account and Social Security numbers immediately to prevent theft.

In a spin off scam, other residents have received call that their debit card sponsored by a named Manistique financial institution has been compromised and the intended victim should provide the caller with those numbers.

Public Safety officers are reminding the public they should never give out any personal or account information over the phone, no matter what the supposed circumstances.

If a person should receive any such call requesting this information they should hang up immediately and contact their local bank or credit union to determine what is going on.

If this is determined to be a fraud scam, which a vast majority are, the person should then report this attempted fraud to the Manistique Public Safety Department by calling 906-341-2133.

shaw capital management:Upheaval in Middle East a warning for developed economies

THE revolutions in the Middle East are not just about corrupt and overregulated autocratic regimes crushing freedom and democracy. They also reflect dysfunctional economies, products of crony capitalism creating massive unemployment, substantial sections of the population living below poverty levels, gross income inequality, bloated public-sector payrolls and suppression of business formation. As with Europe, the US, Britain and Australia, economics has shaped the politics.


It’s not insignificant that the revolutions in the Arab world started in Tunisia. Mohamed Bouazizi, 26, and with a computer science degree, was forced to sell fruit and vegetables from a cart. He had no licence but it was his sole source of income. On December 17, authorities confiscated his produce. Bouazizi drenched himself in petrol and set himself on fire outside the governor’s office. It set off an explosion throughout the Arab world.

The upheaval is also a warning for developed economies. In his book Fault Lines, former International Monetary Fund chief economist Raghuram Rajan says the roots of the financial crisis lay in income inequality, political mismanagement where politicians pushed easy credit instead of tackling structural problems and perceptions of crony capitalism, where governments pandered to corporate interests and vice versa. The Middle East continues that theme of tightly interconnected politics and economics.

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The parallels with the Middle East are there with the post-financial crisis electoral volatility witnessed in Australia, Britain and the US, including the rise of the Tea Party following the bank bailout, a US model of crony capitalism. Europeans from Britain to Bavaria are rebelling against austerity programs. People are not paying road fees in the Greek town of Aphidal, bus and metro passengers in Athens now refuse to pay for tickets. In Europe, critics say the austerity measures show government and corporate interests have merged.

Libya is an exemplar of crony capitalism. Gaddafi and his family have reportedly accumulated an estimated $US97 billion in accounts and investments around the globe. Compare that with the rest of the population in Libya. According to the CIA World Fact Book, one in three Libyans lives at or below the poverty line.

Hosni Mubarak who, according to various media reports, is worth anywhere up to $US70 billion, started out by cracking down on profiteering by politically connected businessmen linked to his predecessor, Anwar Sadat. A 1990 New York Times profile described his “rigid personal probity”.

But as with Gaddafi, power corrupts. Over the years, there were reports describing how he enriched himself and his family through partnerships in Egypt’s powerful companies. His family reportedly owns properties all over the world. Compare the wealth of the Mubarak clan with the low-wage labourers in Egypt, with most available jobs in poorly paid informal work, a 9.5 per cent inflation rate and where at least 50 per cent of men and 90 per cent of women remain jobless two years after leaving school.

And then there is the royal welfare system in Saudi Arabia which, according to WikiLeaks in cables reviewed by Reuters, works in legal and illegal ways. Legally, there are monthly allowances for thousands of princes and princesses, ranging from $US800 a month lower down the food chain, to $US270,000 a month for sons of Abdul-Aziz Ibn Saud. Illegal ways include skimming $US10 billion yearly from off-budget projects related to defence and infrastructure, sponsoring expatriate workers who have to pay a small monthly fee to their royal patron.

In the wake of a violent crackdown on protesters that left at least 37 dead, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad announced changes including pay rises for public workers. The question remains whether Syria is next.

Fixing the problems will not be easy. Even after the regimes are gone, the infrastructure and systems for corruption will still be there.

Economist Nouriel Roubini has proposed an assistance program designed for the Middle East, modelled on the Marshall Plan in western Europe after World War II, or on the model offered to eastern Europe after the Berlin Wall’s collapse, with finance coming from the IMF, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as well as the US, the European Union, China, and the Gulf states. Such a program should tackle the systemic problem of income inequality and crony capitalism.

News on: Commodity Markets 창 Shaw Capital Management Korea Investment | Liquida Asia

Commodity Markets – Shaw Capital Management Korea Investment

Shaw Capital management summarizes the commodity markets improvement, its effect and other global commodities.

(PRWEB) February 23, 2011

The general improvement in sentiment in the financial markets over the past month has also been evident in the commodity markets.

There has been further evidence that the global economic recovery in continuing, there has been more support for the view that the pressures resulting from the sovereign debt crisis in Europe may be easing.

As a result, base metals are generally lower over the month, even after the rally on the latest Chinese announcement about the renminbi; most soft commodity prices are slightly lower, although there have been sharp rises in beverage prices on concerns about future supplies; precious metal prices have moved higher as investors have continued to seek “safe havens in the storm”; and there has been a strong recovery in oil prices, helped by optimistic signs of a pick up in US demand.

Base metal prices are ending the past month well above recent low levels, but still slightly lower overall, and there has been an additional boost to confidence in the announcement of a “more flexible” policy towards the renminbi.

It is assumed that even a modest appreciation of the Chinese currency will boost the purchasing power of Chinese buyers, and increase still further China’s position as the world’s largest importer of a broad range of global commodities.

But there is clearly a risk that the importance of this fairly modest move is being exaggerated; and the extent of the earlier reaction should be a powerful warning of the degree of speculative activity in the markets, and the vulnerability of prices. Chinese demand clearly remains a critical factor, and the evidence suggests that it will remain reasonably strong.

Soft commodity markets have again produced a more mixed performance.

Movements in grain prices have been fairly modest, although there has been some support from a recent report by the US Department of Agriculture that the increasing importance of ethanol production will continue to draw down stock levels and help to offset the effects of what is expected to be a bumper grain crop this year.

Most price movements elsewhere have been fairly small; but there have been two significant exceptions. Cocoa prices have been pushed to their highest levels for more than 30 years because of disappointing crop levels in West Africa, and particularly in the Ivory Coast, and the warning that the fall in production will continue unless there is significant investment in new trees and in fertilisers.

There are fears that demand will outstrip supply for the fifth successive year in the 2010/2011 season, and this has forced cocoa buyers to push up prices to cover their requirements, and has exposed the position of banks and others that sold call options in the expectation that prices would fall. The second significant exception has been coffee prices, which have increased by almost 20% during the past month.

The indications are that one commodity-trading house has accumulated a very large number of futures contracts and has indicated that it intends to take delivery of the coffee.

Other funds that had sold futures contracts short have been unable to obtain the coffee to honour those contracts, and so have been forced to scramble to close them and have suffered considerable losses as prices have moved higher.

It is not yet clear whether this technical position has now been cleared; but the fundamentals do not appear to justify the price action, since Brazilian production is expected to be very high in the current season, and so, once the technical position had been cleared, prices could fall fairly sharply.

Oil prices have also been affected by the improvement in market sentiment, and have recovered very sharply over the past month.

Speculative activity has been an important factor; but there has also been an encouraging report from the US Department of Energy indicating strong demand for oil products in the US, and a larger-than-expected reduction in crude oil inventories.

There has also been evidence of continuing strong demand from China; and a warning of the onset of the hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico, and its possible effects on production levels.

So far however the dramatic oil spill at the BP production well in the Gulf does not appear to have had a noticeable effect on market prices, although the possible consequences, especially for deep-water drilling operations in the future, could clearly become a very significant factor.

The recovery in prices has been very impressive; but it may not be sustainable. OPEC itself has recently issued a very cautious monthly report which argues that “recent developments have moved oil prices out of equilibrium”, and which emphasises that increasing supplies from non-OPEC countries are keeping downward pressure on prices.

It concludes, that “although demand has seen some improvement recently, it has been more than overwhelmed by the higher growth in supply”. It seems likely therefore that the present rally will lose momentum unless there is a serious deterioration in the political situation in the Middle East. Precious metal prices have also moved higher over the past month; investors are clearly still seeking “safe havens in the storm” despite the improvement in sentiment about prospects that has pushed some other commodity prices higher.

Gold prices have reached $1250 per ounce, and silver prices have also moved significantly higher, with exchange-traded funds aggressive buyers of both metals.

The World Gold Council, in its recent quarterly report, indicated that demand for gold was “exceptionally strong”, and that it was expected to remain so for the rest of year, “driven by jewellery demand in India and China, and investment demand in the US and in Europe”.

However it is clear that investment demand is the more important factor, with EFT gold holdings now above 2000 tons, and central banks also adding to their holdings again.

There is an obvious risk that the latest surge in prices will lead to some profit taking. But given the present situation, and particularly the risk of sovereign debt defaults, it would be unwise to assume that the improvement in precious metal prices in over.

At Shaw Capital Management we give you the information and insight you need to make the right investment choices.

Shaw Capital Management August Newsletter: Financial Markets Focusing Europe

The big fall in the euro in recent months is clearly having a significant impact on the performance of the

euro-zone economy.



Shaw Capital Management, Korea - Investment Innovation & Excellence. We provide the information, insight and expertise that you need to make the right investment choices. Shaw Capital Management Korea typically offers its clients such services as asset allocation and portfolio design; traditional and non-traditional manager review and selection; portfolio implementation; portfolio monitoring and consolidated performance reporting; and other wealth management services, including estate, tax, trust and insurance planning, asset custody, closely held business issues associated with the establishment or expansion of a family office, the formation of family investment partnerships or LLCs, philanthropy, family dynamics and inter-generation issues, etc.



Factory output expanded at a record pace in April, helped by investment spending associated with the export effort, and overseas demand for European capital equipment, and the trend appears to be continuing. The major beneficiary has been Germany, but other northern member countries are also involved.



However the situation is much less encouraging in Greece, Spain, and Portugal, because they are less competitive in export markets, and are being forced to introduce austerity measures to reduce their fiscal deficits.



Domestic demand across the entire euro-zone remains weak, and so, despite the export performance of some member countries, it seems unlikely that the overall growth rate for the zone this year will reach 2%. The European Central Bank remains reasonably optimistic about prospects; but fortunately it has not moved towards an "exit strategy" that might involve reversing the measures that were introduced to counter the recession.



Short-term interest rates have been left unchanged and close to zero, the programme to provide unlimited three-month loans to the banking system is continuing, and the bank is also still intervening in the markets to buy the bonds of weaker member countries that had been sold heavily because of fears about debt defaults. The bank is therefore continuing to provide support for the system; but it is not really doing enough to offset the concerns about the debt crisis.



Greece remains in the eye of the storm; but there have been increasing concerns about the situation in Spain; and the situation has been made worse by the latest warning from the Fitch Ratings agency that it may take further massive asset purchases by the European Central Bank to prevent the sovereign debt crisis in the area escalating out of control.



Shaw Capital Management August 2010: Financial Markets Focusing Europe - There are fears that Spain will need to follow Greece in requesting help from other member countries and the IMF to enable it to avoid a default, and that Portugal, and perhaps even Italy, may also need to be rescued.



The pressures on the euro will therefore be intense; and whilst there may well be further support from the Swiss National Bank and others, the future of the single currency system clearly remains very uncertain. The latest modest rally in the euro must therefore be treated with great care.



Sterling has recovered from the weakness that developed in May, and is ending the month higher. The economic background in the UK has not provided any real support, and the Bank of England is clearly intending to maintain short-term interest rates at very low levels; but there has been some movement of funds out of the euro into sterling, and the new coalition government in the UK has introduced measures to reduce the massive fiscal deficit that have been well received in the markets and led to an improvement in sentiment.



There is clearly a risk that these latest measures in the Budget will depress the level of activity still further, and fail to solve the fiscal problems; but for the moment it seems that the new government is being given the benefit of the doubt.



The evidence on the performance of the economy ahead of the Budget announcement was still pointing to a very slow recovery in activity.



The manufacturing sector is reasonably buoyant, with exports expanding rapidly; and retail sales also increased more quickly than expected.



But unemployment rose again to 2.47 million, and the latest survey from the CBI indicated that the value and volume of business in the services sector fell, and that further weakness was expected in the second half of the year.



However the situation has obviously been changed significantly by the latest Budget measures, and the latest estimates from the newly-formed Office for Budget Responsibility are that growth will now only be 1.2% this year, rising to 2.3% next year, and improving slightly in succeeding years.



The Bank of England has welcomed the decision by the new government to introduce measures to address the problems created by the huge fiscal deficit. The governor, Mervyn King, argued recently that they would "eliminate some of the downside risks…and are desirable to remove the risk of an adverse market reaction."