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Web-only Exclusives
November 30, 2000

From Our Correspondent: Hirohito and the War
A conversation with biographer Herbert Bix

From Our Correspondent: A Rough Road Ahead
Bad news for the Philippines - and some others

From Our Correspondent: Making Enemies
Indonesia needs friends. So why is it picking fights?

Asiaweek Time Asia Now Asiaweek technology

OCTOBER 1, 1999 VOL. 25 NO. 39

E-vesting: Not a Punters' Paradise
Asia is still building up its arsenal of online investment information, but the facts can be found by clicking around
By STEWART TAGGART

more: links to online investment sites

With the possible exception of a dart board, an investor's most valuable tool is information. But even in the information age, staying abreast of Asian companies and markets is challenging. While financial websites carrying U.S. business news and commentary are plentiful (The Motley Fool, TheStreet.Com, and Microsoft MoneyCentral are visited by millions), the region has yet to produce comprehensive, one-stop investment supersites.

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Jeremy Pink, editor-in-chief of global investing site Worldlyinvestor.com, says a number of factors, including the economic Crisis, have held back development. "In Asia, telecommunications costs remain high, computers are expensive, and people have been gun shy of investing in the last two years," Pink said. "But as Asian countries move up the technological curve and things improve economically, demand from individuals for web-based financial information should grow."

Regional investors already up the curve - and on the Net - need not wait. They can assemble personalized financial databases suited to their investment strategies and interests. Start by bookmarking sites that post regional market and business news. At Yahoo Finance, for example, you can click on links that take you to country-by-country reports. Yahoo also runs a regional summary called "Asian Economy" that can provide a daily snapshot of business happenings.

Or go right to the source by plumbing the content at regional business publications and newspapers. Some sites charge for access, but most are free. WebWombat and News Directory.com offer broad lists of publication links. Also check out AsiaOne Business Center, a Singapore-focused site that will take you to online publications covering Hong Kong, Thailand, the Philippines, and other Asian nations. The AsiaNow site (operated by Time Warner, owner of Asiaweek) includes regional financial news from organizations including Time, CNNfn and this magazine. For China news, check out the financial resources page at China.com and Sohu.com (Sohu is Chinese language only).

Sophisticated content such as expert market commentary and professional analysis remain sparse in Asia's corner of the Net. But specialty sites and online brokers are adding material rapidly. Worldlyinvestor.com posts daily commentaries from columnists around the world including Asia. Another source is iDS Finance, based in the Philippines, which provides regional market overviews. For additional resources, click to websites of the stock exchanges on which you trade. U.S. search engine Looksmart provides the connections.

As individuals in Asia increasingly take control of their financial destinies with cross-border investments in global markets, a torrent of information will be required, says Daniel Burke, senior analyst with Boston-based internet brokerage Gomez Advisors Inc. "The most glaring need is investor education - always is and always will be." For those willing to educate themselves foraging on the Web, the truth is out there.

BUSINESS NEWS

http://finance.yahoo.com/
Yahoo! Is the entry point for country-by-country financial news. Also hit http://headlines.yahoo.com/Full_Coverage/Business/Asian_Economy/

http://www.hkis.reuters.com/
A fee-based investment information channel run by Reuters news service and Hong Kong's Netvigator Internet service provider

http://cnn.com/ASIANOW/business/
Regional economic news from CNN, Time, and Asiaweek

http://www.asiaonline.net
More news links, in English and Chinese.

http://www.quotepower.com
Includes stock quotes, company profiles and the Dow Jones Newswire - but there's a fee for access

http://www.webwombat.com.au/intercom/newsprs/index.htm
Paths to online newspapers

http://www.newsdirectory.com/news/press/as/
More publication links

http://www.asia1.com.sg/bizcentre/
AsiaOne Business Centre is strong on Singapore and offers regional coverage

FINANCIAL SITES

http://www.worldlyinvestor.com/
Asian markets commentary

http://boom.com/en.html
Online trading site includes breaking news on companies and markets in Asia - in English, Chinese and Japanese

http://www.idatasystems.com/
IDS Finance provides fundamental and technical analysis, as well as regional financial news, for nine Asian stock exchanges

http://www.cmots.com
The skinny on Indian companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange. Online trading too

http://www.iii-asia.com/
Interactive Investor International is an aspiring investment supersite with news and diverse links to other investment resources

STOCK EXCHANGES

http://www.looksmart.com
Click the "Finance" button on the homepage, then click "Markets & Exchanges" for links to stock exchanges around the world

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