5:00pm.
I am on bus heading home.
Observations ...
Hong Kong has many street corner billboard type video screens, in-building plasma screens, and in-elevator LCD panels in CBD, showing commercials, news, and financial tickers. In the financial buildings, Bloomberg TV is simply everywhere, and in some cafes, wall to wall.
Today, people's eyes were drawn to the screens, and they whisper, uncontrollably, to their companions, even while crossing the street, 'ooh, down 400 points'.
Lunched with buddy at the Correspondent's Club, surrounded by sound-muted (can ask for wireless headsets tune-able to different channels) screens showing CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, and flanked by terminals linked to Reuters, Bloomberg, and Worldwide Net.
The lunch room atmosphere was somber.
All seem to understand something is not quite right, or very wrong, but many figure the epi-center, target zone, and bears-eye is 12-hours time zone away, in NY.
As Mr. Soros quibbed back in 1998 Asian Financial Crisis while visiting Asia, "this time it is on the periphery; next time, the center".
I suspect, time is up.
The urge to run is great, in any direction, as long as it raises cash.
Chugs, J |
