21 July 2011

$ 100/Oz Silver Is Now A Conservative Target – Luke Burgess

$ 100/Oz Silver Is Now A Conservative Target – Luke Burgess






Most investors assume that because silver is almost 50 times cheaper than gold, it’s more abundant. They’re wrong.
The amount of available silver is far rarer than the amount of available gold.
This fact is often overlooked by even the most seasoned silver investors. And it’s this lack of silver stockpiles that has become one of the most critical factors in what could jolt prices, lifting silver into an entirely different asset class all together.
So forget $100 silver — $100 is now considered a timid prediction. Some experts are now calling for silver prices to be on par with gold!
Let me quickly explain how we got here. Global silver mining has increased significantly over the past two decades.

Silver output has more than doubled since the early 1990s in places like Mexico, Australia, and Peru. Other countries have seen even more dramatic production spikes. In China, a relatively new major supplier of the metal, silver mining has scaled up from less than 10 million ounces in 1991 to more than 100 million ounces today.

Overall, the world’s total silver mining production has increased from 400 million ounces in the early 1990s to about 700 million ounces today.But despite a sharp increase to supplies, the global demand for silver is far outpacing global production.
In fact global silver production has be unable to meet global demand for more than fifteen years. The world’s silver mines are simply not producing enough silver to meet demand.
In 2010, global silver demand exceed 1.05 billion ounces; but as you saw in the chart above, global mining has only provided about 700 million ounces.

So how has the market been filling this deficit?

Over the last two generations, major government stockpiles of silver have been sold off to supply the industry. The United States government alone has dumped nearly 5 billion ounces of silver into the market since WWII.
Of course, any government’s well of silver reserves are finite. And over the past few years, government supplies of silver have been drying up. Data from the Silver Institute shows net government sales of silver falling drastically in the past decade.


 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Net Government Sales
(million ounces)
 63.0 59.2 88.7 61.9 65.9 78.5 42.5 28.9 15.5 44.8
This is one of the major reasons it is critical to act now.
Without government stockpiles to feed it, the market only has few other places to buy its silver. Scrap metal is one option for the market, and will continue to help supply rising demand in the near term. But this well will also quickly run dry — and that will create a real problem for consumers who need silver…


Silver is Actually Rarer than Gold
Silver is 17.5 times more abundant in the Earth’s crust than gold. But the amount of above-ground gold far exceeds the amount of silver.
In 1950, there were 10 billion ounces of available silver above ground. By 1980, that number shrank to 3.5 billion. And today, no significant government stockpiles of silver exist anywhere in the world. The USGS actually lists the U.S. government’s current stockpile of silver simply as: “None.”


The exact opposite is true of gold. In 1950, there were an estimated 1 billion ounces of above-ground gold. Today, there are nearly 5.8 billion ounces across the globe.
The world currently produces about 700 million ounces of silver per year.
So where does it all go?
Believe it or not, most of it winds up as garbage. We literally throw billions of dollars’ worth of silver in trash bins every year.
Silver is required in the production of products like CDs, cell phone batteries, calculators, printed circuit boards, hearing aids, electronic switches, TV screens, catalytic converters, inks, computer monitors, RFID chips, and thousands more. Once any of these items have served their purpose, they generally get tossed. And it’s simply more expensive to recycle the silver from these products than it is to dig more out of the ground.

Tiny bits of silver in electronics are thrown away every day.


I expect that the world’s trash dumps will be a precious source of resources like silver in the future.
You see, gold is produced, but it’s not consumed. Even though gold is a highly desired item, it’s not an industrial commodity.
In other words, gold is desired, but silver is needed.
All of the gold that has ever been mined is basically still around. Studies suggest that 98% of all gold mined throughout history is still available in either coins, bars, artifacts, and jewelry. But silver is different.

From 1990 to 2000 alone, over two billion ounces of silver disappeared from the market to consumption.
Despite the lack of global stockpiles, new technology will continue to discover more industrial applications for silver, putting a further strain on world supplies. Consider the new photovoltaic industry as an example…
In China, the production of photovoltaic solar panel has doubled every single year since 2003. The demand for silver from the global photovoltaic industry has soared in the past few years, and global demand is expected to reach 150 million ounces per year by 2015 — just to satisfy the photovoltaic industry.

But to widen the supply deficit even more, the Silver Institute forecasts industrial uses of silver will rise sharply over the next five years. The organization estimates that by 2015, the demand for silver from industry will increase 36%.
Meanwhile, the demand for silver for jewelry and investment is reaching record levels. A survey of 340 retail jewelers representing ~4,000 individual stores recently showed silver jewelry sales hitting record highs. 

The survey found:
  • 87% of jewelry retailers said their silver jewelry sales increased in 2010
  • 52% said their silver jewelry sales increased between 11% and 25%; 28% saw an increase over 25%
  • Retailers rated the following categories as giving them the “best” maintained margin:
    • Silver jewelry 57%
    • Diamond jewelry 20%
    • Bridal jewelry 15%
    • Gold jewelry 4%
    • Platinum jewelry 4%

The UK’s Royal Mint, which makes the Britannia silver bullion coins and other collector silver coins, reported silver coin production in the first half of the current year has doubled.
In the meantime, American Eagle Silver bullion coins continue to move at a record-setting sales pace. The latest sales figures indicate the U.S. Mint sold over total of 3.4 million Silver Eagles in June. This figure earned the title as the “Best Ever June,” and ranked seventh place in all-time monthly sales.
This is all very much in line with reports from other mints around the world, which have also seen a huge surge in silver coin sales over the period.
There’s no doubt the silver market will have to face a serious deficit. And in order to balance the deficit, silver will have to come from somewhere…
I believe the majority of this silver will come from investors. And for investors to sell, we’ll need to see higher prices.
The world has been drawing down its above-ground supply of silver for decades, diminishing the only source of what is available for investment. And only now have we begun to collectively recognize silver as a solid investment.
This is the perfect market for silver prices to appreciate. Global supply deficits continue to be ignored year after year by investors. This is slowly changing, but owning silver has not gone mainstream yet…
Even as premiums rise and available retail supply dwindles, there is still time. The opportunity in silver is huge.

 

 

Src: Stockmarkets.in

http://stocksmarket.in/commodities-bullion/2011/07/20/100oz-silver-is-now-a-conservative-target-luke-burgess/

Posted by Srisai & Ganesh & Jaga & myLu at 12:30 PM 0 comments
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18 July 2011

15 HOTTEST Indian start-ups

15 HOTTEST Indian start-ups




Rahul Sethi of Business Intelligenze
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A glimpse into 15 most promising start-ups from India selected by Proto.in in association with Sequoia Capital and BSE Small and Medium Enterprises Exchange. These start-ups were selected on the basis of the people behind them, the impact of their products in solving real world problems, the future potential of the product in terms of market size, the scalability of the start-up, business model, execution and wow factor.
Proto.in is a support platform for the Indian start-up community and these start-ups have been picked up after sifting through 101 entries. Here are the hottest 15...
Company Name: Business Intelligenze
Product Name: Jumbo Analyze
Founder: Rahul Sethi
Location: Delhi
Incorporation Year: 2010
Stage of Funding: Pre-funding
Revenue Situation: Prototype
Product Summary: Jumbo Analyse is the proven technique for achieving a significant business impact in BPO -- from enhancing the top line to discovering new ways to reduce bottom line; from trend analysis to customer retention: from revenues to expenses: from analytics on.
Market Need: The BPO industry is an extremely unstructured one with a large number of data points. Jumbo Analayze seeks to use these data- points and save costs and times for BPO's.
Target Market: BPO Sector
We are at Proto.in for:  Funding, products validation.



Sarang Devi, son of Subhash Devi of Membrane Filters
Prev     Next
Company Name: Membrane Filters
Product Name: Purioin FnP
Founders: Subhash Devi, Arif Fulari, Bhushan Acharya
Location: Pune
Incorporation Year:  2010
Stage of Funding:  Pre Funding
Revenue Situation: Making revenues.
Product Summary: Product specifications
  • UF Membrane based five stage water filtration system UF Membrane 5* 2 and interconnected with CPVC food grade tubing 20>1 micro multipurpose pre filter in big Blue Housing Silver impregnated post carbon in 10" Housing, all in pre coated GI sheet lockable box mounted on anti vibrating mounting Filtration capacity 1500 LPH.
  • Pressure filter for removal of large particulate with three way special valve having arrangements for rinsing, drain, through flow.
  • Water softer for removing temporary hardness with three way special valve arrangements.
  • AISI 304, Stainless steel storage  tank storage capacity 500 liters with sanitary finish outlet valve 25mm ball valve tank mounted on steel  frame and anti vibrating mounting.
  • Centrifugal Pump 1"*1", 1 HP directly coupled to PTO shaft drive of the three wheeler auto with chain drive and runs when vehicle with PTO shaft drive for running the pump.
Market need: Jaldoot can be used in remote area, waters scarcity areas, it can deliver 100% virus problem both a lack of electricity and lack of mobility in rural India.
Target Market: India's Agriculture Sector
We are at Proto.in for:  Funding.



More @  http://www.rediff.com/getahead/slide-show/slide-show-1-career-are-these-the-hottest-15-indian-startups/20110713.htm

Posted by Srisai & Ganesh & Jaga & myLu at 10:52 PM 0 comments
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Micromax A70 Android phone prices revealed

Micromax A70 Android phone prices revealed

 

The Android army from Indian companies is getting bigger and bigger. And as expected the entry level phones are the ones that are storming the market. Micromax’s much awaited successor to the A60 is here and the prices have finally been revealed. Here’s a look at the specifications and features that make this phone a cool buy if you are looking for a low price Android phone.
A70


3.2 inch TFT capacitive touch screen
600MHz processor
WiFi b/g, GPRS, EDGE, 3G, Bluetooth 2.1
Accelerometer, GPS
5MP rear facing camera 0.3MP front facing camera
Ships with Android 2.2 Froyo ( no word on future update)
1450mAH battery with upto 4hrs talktime and 7 days standby time.
Price approx 8k

Looking at the specs one can say that the specifications are pretty decent for the price that the phone is being offered. The biggest selling point of this phone is that it is one of the first smartphones to have a price tag below 10k and offering a front facing camera. 

This phone will be competing with the likes of Samsung Galaxy Pop, Dell XCD35, LG Optimus One, HTC Wildfire, Sony’s Xperia X10, Xperia Mini, the recently launched Spice MI-310 and many more offerings in the same price range.


So now that the price wars have really begun the only question that remains is whether you are ready to look away from international brands and consider a smartphone manufactured by an Indian company.

 

 

 

Src: Plugged.in

 

Posted by Srisai & Ganesh & Jaga & myLu at 10:46 PM 0 comments
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06 July 2011

30 mega projects: China's pride, world's envy!




30 mega projects: China's pride, world's envy!

 


Shanghai World Financial Centre.
     Next
The United States no longer lords over the world's most prestigious infrastructure projects.
Some of the world's biggest and most expensive infrastructure projects are in China.
China, Brazil, the Middle East and other parts of the developing world, account for nearly half of the most expensive projects in the world.
Businessinsider says some of these mega projects in China are 'reshaping the world'.  Here's a look at some of the biggest and expensive projects in China...
Shanghai World Financial Centre
The world's second-tallest building resembles a bottle opener.
Built at a cost of $1.1 billion, this Shanghai tower was designed by architectural firm Kohn Pederson Fox Associates. It houses offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks, and shopping malls on the ground floors. Park Hyatt has 174 rooms and suites in this tower.
Click NEXT to read on

Image: Shanghai World Financial Centre.

     Next
 
 
Hangzhou Bay Bridge.
Prev     Next
Hangzhou Bay Bridge The world's longest trans-oceanic bridge extends across the Hangzhou Bay to over 35.673 kilometres (22 miles).
It has six expressway lanes in two directions. Inaugurated in May 2008, this modern wonder is an S-shaped stayed-cable bridge with six lanes in both directions.
It brings down the distance between Shanghai and Ningbo by 120 km. This architectural wonder cost $1.70 billion. Click NEXT to read on

Image: Hangzhou Bay Bridge.
  


More @ 


http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-mega-projects-chinas-pride/20110704.htm




Posted by Srisai & Ganesh & Jaga & myLu at 9:32 PM 0 comments
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05 July 2011

Top Indian Brands – Amul retains crown!

Top Indian Brands – Amul retains crown!

 

Its amazing how Amul keeps retaining the crown of being the top Indian brand even though they spend probably fraction of money on advertising & branding as compared to other Indian brands.
Campaign Top Asian Brands Top Indian Brands – Amul retains crown!
Campaign Magazine which releases Asia’s top 1000 brand list every year has ranked Sony as the number 1 brand in Asia. Amul is the only Indian brand which has ranked in Top 100 Asian brands at number 89. It has slipped 16 places from the previous year’s rank of 73.
Kingfisher is 2nd Indian Brand to appear on the list and is placed 116th in Asia. Big Bazaar is 3rd with Asian Rank of 184. Please note that Campaign Magazine rankings are for Asian Brands only. So, there are no Google’s, Microsoft’s & Facebook’s of world in the rankings!
These rankings were arrived based on 2 main questions asked to 3,322 respondents in 16 Asian- Pacific region.
  • When you think of the following (product or service) category, which is the best brand that comes to your mind? By best, we mean the one that you trust the most or the one that has the best reputation in the (product or service) category.
  • Apart from the best brand you entered, which brand do you consider to be the second best brand in the (product or service) category?

Top Indian Brands


India Rank (2011) Asia Rank (2011) Brand Name Category 2010 RANK
1 89 Amul Milk powder/Milk/Ice-cream 73
2 116 Kingfisher Beer/Full-service Airlines 140
3 184 Big Bazaar   248
4 215 ICICI Bank Bank 182
5 216 State Bank of India (SBI) Bank 226
6 221 Airtel Mobile Service Provider 301
7 252 LIC Insurance 290
8 264 Cafe Coffee Day Coffee 396
9 270 Titan Watch 292
10 288 Lakme Cosmetics 289
11 290 HDFC Bank Bank 341
12 304 Apollo Pharmacy/Drugstore 342
13 336 Taj Hotel 304
14 358 Kissan Sauce/Condiment 482
15 360 Kelvinator White Goods 317
16 372 Barista Lavazza (India) Coffee Shop 534
17 394 Kwality Ice-cream 496
18 396 Mother Dairy Milk 273
19 411 Bajaj Motorcycle 563
20 428 Maruti Car/Automobile 413
21 435 Indian Oil Corporation Petrol/Gas Station 642
22 448 Tata Automobile 256
23 474 Clinic Shampoo 802
24 477 Air India Full-service Airlines 580
25 487 Godrej Consumer Electronics 389
26 490 Hero Honda Motorcycle 365
27 491 Myojo Instant Noodles 589
28 524 Videocon Consumer Electronics 386
29 551 Blue Dart Courier Company 670
30 553 Drypers Diaper 683
31 563 ICICI Prudential Insurance New entry
32 571 Spencer Convenience Store/Supermarket 748
33 594 Ceat Tyre 874
34 595 Tanishq Jewellery 700
35 617 BPCL Petrol/Gas Station 704
36 626 Haldiram Savoury Snack Food 722
37 642 Woodland Men’s Shoes 525
38 678 Onida Consumer Electronics 829
39 696 Axis Bank Bank New entry
40 700 Metro Supermarket 697
41 710 Boomer Chewing/Bubble Gum 627
42 724 DTDC Courier Company 734
43 747 Kinley Mineral Water 649
44 756 Parle Sweets and Candy 979
45 769 TVS Motorcycle New entry
46 785 Rin Detergent 848
47 799 ITC Hotel New entry
48 821 IFB Home & Kitchen Appliances New entry
49 832 Taj Mahal (Tea) Tea 780
50 834 Gold Flake Cigarette 823
51 844 Aavin Milk 969
52 851 Haywards Beer 999
53 864 Allianz Insurance Provider New entry
54 869 Raymonds Men’s Fashion Retailer 976
55 914 Himalaya Mineral Water New entry
56 936 Center Fresh Chewing/Bubble Gum 647
57 938 Dabur Toothpaste New entry
58 950 Frooti Fruit Juice New entry
59 953 Fair And Handsome Male Skincare Product 961
60 969 Thums Up Carbonated Soft Drink 792
61 983 The Professional Couriers Courier Company New entry
62 986 Park Avenue Personal Care/Men’s Shoes New entry
63 991 Arun Ice-cream New entry
64 997 More Supermarket New entry

There are 2 Indian brands which I don’t recognise or haven’t heard of them earlier and they are – Myojo brand of  Instant Noodles which is ranked at 27th and Arun brand of Ice – Cream which is ranked at 64!
Have you heard them earlier ?
Check the list of Top 1000 Asian Brands here !

 

 

Src:Trak.in

Posted by Srisai & Ganesh & Jaga & myLu at 8:48 PM 0 comments
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