This post provides links to a number of interesting articles I have read over the past few days that you may also enjoy.

• Economist.com: Jobs gloom, with glimmers, November 6, 2009. America’s jobless rate passes 10% but the job market should start to improve soon.

• Paul Krugman (The New York Times): Why not a WPA? November 6, 2009. A question I’m occasionally asked at public events is, why aren’t we creating jobs with a WPA-type program? It’s a very good question. As it is, job-creation efforts are generally indirect. Tax cuts and transfers in the hope that people will spend them; aid to state governments in the hope of averting layoffs. Even infrastructure spending is routed through private contractors. You can make a pretty good case that just employing a lot of people directly would be a lot more cost-effective.

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Chinese electronics retailer Suning has published its financial report for the first three quarters of 2009, stating its performance maintained a stable growth and the expansion of its new outlets was progressing smoothly. The report shows that Suning made revenues of CNY41.574 billion during the first three quarters of 2009, an increase of 6.32% compared with [...]

According to reports in local media, Wal-Mart has suspended the merger of Trust-Mart stores in China. Though Wal-Mart gave no comment to the suspension of the merger, an insider revealed that Wal-Mart previously invested tens of millions in the renovation of Trust-Mart's three outlets in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, but the performance of these stores decreased by [...]

According to reports in local media, Beijing Capital International Airport will launch six model rooms for convenience stores in its three terminal buildings before the end of 2009 to realize a unified convenience store image. A representative from the airport said that five convenience store model rooms will be launched in the three terminal buildings to [...]

Chinese dairy giant Yili has published its financial report for the third quarter of 2009, stating its net profit surged 220% year-on-year. According to the report, Yili made revenues of CNY7.034 billion in the third quarter of 2009, maintaining the same level compared with the same period of 2008. Its net profit was CNY271 million, a [...]

Shanghai M Macalline Group and Dalian Huanan Group have signed an agreement in Dalian to open a new M Macalline store in the city's Zhonghua road business area. As one of the largest home supplies chain brands in China, M Macalline has opened over 50 stores in 31 cities around China, operating a total business area [...]

Lindsay Whipp of the Financial Times sits down with Jim Rogers in Tokyo for a four-part interview covering the US dollar, China, commodities and crisis-related issues.

Part 1: Rogers sees brief dollar rally He says he has increased his dollar holdings in anticipation of a rally in the US currency, but the dollar is still broadly set for a lasting decline.

Click here or on the image below to view the video clip.

Part 2: Rogers still a China bull He says he’s not buying Chinese stocks, but sees the renminbi rising despite its effective peg to the dollar.

Click here to view the video clip.

Part 3: Rogers backs commodities for the long run. He says he’s fully expecting another leg up in commodities, and that real assets represent

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Lindsay Whipp of the Financial Times sits down with Jim Rogers in Tokyo for a four-part interview covering the US dollar, China, commodities and crisis-related issues.

Part 1: Rogers sees brief dollar rally He says he has increased his dollar holdings in anticipation of a rally in the US currency, but the dollar is still broadly set for a lasting decline.

Click here or on the image below to view the video clip.

Part 2: Rogers still a China bull He says he’s not buying Chinese stocks, but sees the renminbi rising despite its effective peg to the dollar.

Click here to view the video clip.

Part 3: Rogers backs commodities for the long run. He says he’s fully expecting another leg up in commodities, and that real assets represent

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According to Yu Guoxiong, a spokesperson for Ting Hsin International Group, Ting Hsin plans to open the franchise rights of its convenience store brand FamilyMart in mainland China at the end of 2009. At present, all FamilyMart stores in mainland China are directly operated by the group. FamilyMart convenience stores, along with Master Kong instant noodles, beverages, [...]

This week on WealthTrack, Consuelo Mack sits down for a rare one-on-one interview with contrarian market observer and historian James Grant, publisher of the influential newsletter, Grant’s Interest Rate Observer. They discuss why the economic recovery could be much stronger than anticipated, and the ballooning federal deficit much more damaging. He also shares his views on the Fed, the US dollar, gold, China and some of his personal investing habits.

Grant is erudite, articulate, funny and opinionated - just the right ingredients for an interview not to be missed.

Note: The transcript of this interview is not available yet, but will be posted here as soon as it arrives.

Source: Wealthtrack, October 30, 2009.

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