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: Stitch who wrote (4857)	6/27/1998 12:56:00 AM
From: MikeM54321	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 9980

Stitch, My first comment after an initial read through, "Wow!" You sure found a very interesting article. Sakakibara's comments almost seem to be about eight years old, before Japan went into an eight year slump. Before their bubble economy collapsed. He's a little on the arrogant side, especially in light of our recent $2 billion intervention in support of the yen. I was so surprised at the things he said, I went and pulled up SCMP and took a look to see if it's in today's paper, or years old. Sure enough it's in today's paper. Now what I don't understand, is Sakakibara's attitude certainly doesn't seem like they are coming from a man who's country supposedly has an $11 trillion national debt. Has private sector bad loans of $500 billion to $700 billion and counting. What is that? Two and a half times the size of our S&L crisis. The numbers we toss around are so large I get lost. So we read about huge debt problems in the Atlantic Monthly article, Business Week article, etc., etc. This person is the Vice Finance Minister of Japan. As I understand it, our equivalent of Treasurer Secretary, Robert Rubin. Comments like his make me wonder if our press has got the debt problems all wrong? Or is this person about to lose his position? Thanks for the article Stitch. MikeM(From Florida) PS One more thing, his comment, "I cannot completely rule out the possibility that Japan and Asia are caught in a downward spiral", made me have a flashback to when Coach Woody Hayes ran out on the football field and choked the player that intercepted the Buckeye pass. As I stared in disbelief, I knew it was the end of the legend.

To: Stitch who wrote (4857)	6/27/1998 11:18:00 AM
From: Amelia Carhartt	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 9980

Stich: I don't know anything about anything but that sounds kind of ominous to me. If it were at all possible, I am sure that Japan would love to see the US bubble get as big and fat as it can and then pull the rug out, i.e. pull their money out driving rates up and the market into the tank. I think it is a very big mistake to under estimate Japan. They may be down but, I for one, do not count them out. As Sakakibara points out they are the lenders we are the debtors. One should also keep in mind that Japan has always said it would one day do to us financially what it was unable to do in combat. I don't know if they can. But, I believe if they can they will. It undoubtedly, and in no small way, has been a great loss of face to watch the US market go from 2,000 to 10,000 while theirs has gone from 40,000 to 15,000 and we got to use their money to do it! It really doesn't matter that it is their own silly fault. If I were Japan I would let the yen get as cheap as possible in the short run convert my dollars into 150 yen that cost me 80 take my money home and invest it in Japan and Asia. Susan