Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : Asia Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Esvida who wrote (67)	12/23/1997 11:30:00 AM
From: Worswick	Respond to of 9980

Welcome to the land of $4.00 a pound rice, $150 melons, and the $25 dollar steak ( in the market). The current boom (and collapse) of Japan has been on the backs of the average Japanese who lives in substandard housing, shops in substandard markets, and puts up with a totally disfunctional political system. This is a place of six hour commutes for the men and working women. Each day! Some years ago the Japan Society (New York) ran a two week cultural tour of Asia and most of the time was spent in Japan by people like the Duponts, the Astors, etc. At one point, I think it was one of the Rockefellers, said she had gone to her last $500 lunch and her last $800 dinner and that the Japan Society had to start going to China because it more reasonable. Try and buy a cup of coffee in Tokyo and then do the math.

To: Esvida who wrote (67)	12/23/1997 4:12:00 PM
From: current trend	Respond to of 9980

Call it "the Wall-Mart effect"--- to explain a small part of <<Why the living standard in Japan has to be lower than that in the US?>> Michael put it so well and insightfully as listed below-- from ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: The Big Picture - Economics and Investing To: Sid Turtlman (500 ) From: Michael D. Cummings Thursday, Dec 18 1997 12:30AM EST Reply # of 539 Sid, something occured to me today as I did some last minute Christmas shopping. About a year ago, we had a Wall-Mart open up in our area. As I bounced from Wall-Mart to Cosco, Target and Sears looking for that special gift, I was paying particular attention to the price of clothes and goods. Is it possible when discussing the inflation rate that the U.S. is experiencing what I would call "the Wall-Mart effect"?? It seems like all the stores in my area have slashed prices on goods in order to compete effectively with Wall-Mart. Multiply this by thousands of stores and this could be having a pretty profound effect across the country. Wall-Mart is steadily moving closer to the Urban area's of America. We may see this effect continue for a while longer. Michael --------------------------------------------------------- If Japan had any of "the Wall-Mart effect" prices would come down, the consumer would benefit, and the standard of living would improve across the whole country! Maybe there are political and cultural roadblocks to this. CT

To: Esvida who wrote (67)	12/23/1997 6:48:00 PM
From: Thomas Haegin	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 9980

Why Japan has "low" quality of life (JMHO) First off: I do not want to offend any Japanese followers here! I can tell the following story: The uncle of a friend of mine is a pretty high level guy for a major Swiss corp. (non-financial) in Japan. He quotes the Japanese people as the richest poor people in the world: No space, horrendous costs of living, shopping and leisure, enormous stress at work and overdrowding of the cities. He says that salaries are very high, but if you live in Japan you spend it all again for rent, food, dining, the usual stuff. So relatively, the Japanes is not better off than the American (or Swiss for that) because he has relatively higher costs. The only times when Japanes feel rich is when they travel in other countries and can buy relatively cheaply the local goods and services with their Yen. TO ALL: Please correct me if my assessment is too simple, Thomas