The breakdown of international trade is key threat to the global economy in 2009, says Chris Mayer. Several countries have already taken action to protect domestic industries, including the US with its auto bailout. If this trend continues, Chris says the global downturn could become even deeper than imagined.This from The Daily Reckoning:

Where trade flourishes, business is good. But trade does not always flourish. The linked forces of globalization move in fits and starts.

The authors of Power and Plenty, a new book on trade over the last thousand years, tell us as much. “If anything,” they write, “history suggests that globalization is a fragile and easily reversible process.”

One of the looming threats in 2009 is the reversal in trade flows and increasing barriers to trade.

For the first time since 1982, The World Bank predicts global trade volumes will shrink in 2009. Undoubtedly, global trade

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Taiwan-based technology manufacturing group Hon Hai Precision will become the general agent for Apple's products on the Chinese mainland and the company will start its large-scale deployment in the mainland market later this year. According to the reports in Hong Kong and Taiwan media, Hon Hai will initially target the mainland market through its consumer electronics [...]

With the onset of 2009, Beijing is cracking down on web portals and search engines that publish material deemed to be too vulgar or subversive for the nation’s 300 million-plus Internet users. Chinese authorities have reportedly implemented new software that lets them more easily track and counter threats, and have issued stern warnings to industry leaders such as Baidu.com Inc. (ADR: BIDU) and Google Inc. (GOOG).

The government earlier this week cited 19 Web sites - including Baidu, Google, Sohu, Sina, and Tianya - as purveyors of vulgar content that is morally or politically destructive.

Some results produced by search engines had “large amounts of pornographic links [and] after notification from the complaint center, the site did not take effective countermeasures,” the State Council Information Office said in a statement.

“Some Web sites have exploited loopholes in laws and regulations,” said Cai Minzhao, deputy chief of the Information

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As one of the most shocking and dismal economic years of our time comes to a close, it deserves a moment to take a look at the vast shifts which have transpired. Major banking giants which have fallen, stock markets have plummeted, and a whole host of issues have reared their head for the coming year. Yet, as we look ahead there are quite a few points of optimism. There are strong buying opportunities, and a sense of worldwide cooperation – both for investors, and for international leaders – which is arguably unique to this crisis, and will undoubtedly shape the next wave of future international financial decisions for the coming generation.

First, a quick, partial summary of international stock markets for the last year:

Developed:

US -42.32% UK -34.31% Germany -42.15% France -44.28% Italy -48.91% Belgium -54.96% Spain -40.69% Scandanavia -51.09% Netherlands -52.63% Russia -65.72%

Emerging:

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At a cross-straits conference in Shanghai, the Chinese government pledged to help Taiwan through any economic slowdown. Part of that pledge included a title=lcd target=_blank href=http://www.reuters.com/article/technology-media-telco-SP/idUSTP4977520081222$2 billion of orders for the flat panel monitors/TVs /afrom Taiwan manufacturers. brbrThink AUO Optronics (NYSE:AUO) is happy about this news?

Passing on this article on Dolby Labs from Inside Futures - looks promising:  Dolby Laboratories (DLB) engages in the development and delivery of products and technologies for the entertainment industry. The company offers products comprising traditional cinema processors, digital cinema products, digital 3D products, digital media adapters, broadcast products, and live sound products, which are used in ...

Chunghwa Telecom (CHT), the largest integrated telecom operator in Taiwan, announced better-than-expected third-quarter 2008 financial results. This was primarily due to higher non-operating income.Robust growth of Internet & Data and Wireless Value-Added Services (WVAS) continues to foster sustainable business for the company. We believe the gradual migration to 3G mobile technology is likely to benefit the company's financials moving forward.Ongoing implementations of next-generation converged-IP networking are expected to position Chunghwa as a premier high-speed telecom carrier. In synergy with its strong balance sheet, management indicated that Chunghwa may consider deploying 4G mobile technologies of LTE or WiMAX.We maintain our Buy rating, but reduce the valuation target due to weak economic and equity market factors.Nalak Das contributed to this report.Read the full analyst report on CHT "CHT" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?...

According to a spokesperson for the Quanjude Group, the group has agreed to cooperate with Her Bian Food and Beverage Group in Kaohsiung, Taiwan to open the first Quanjude restaurant in Taiwan. The general manager of Quanjude's marketing department told local media that Quanjude has a good reputation in Taiwan, so the group is optimistic about [...]

“We’re going to see $200 oil at some point” Jim Rogers

Rogers buys oil last week as price drops Thu Dec 11, 2008 12:49pm EST

By Herbert Lash

http://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?articleId=USTRE4BA4HD20081211

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Renowned commodities investor Jim Rogers said on Thursday that he bought oil last week as crude prices collapsed to near four-year lows and that the world is running out of known oil reserves.

Rogers told the Reuters Investment Outlook Summit in New York that he also closed his bets against the U.S. stock market in October, and plans to use the dollar’s rally as an opportunity to exit dollar-denominated assets.

Rogers, who spoke via a conference call from Miami, said he is the world’s worst market timer and a horrible short-term trader, but a sharp sell-off in oil prices suggested a bottom.

“Oil collapsed last week. Whenever you’ve had that sort of selling climax throughout any period

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Dollar-Euro parity? Crude at $12 a barrel? 15% unemployment? J. Christoph Amberger presents the Today’s Financial News top predictions for 2009…

A month ago, I asked my colleagues at TFN to think about the year ahead… the events that will shape the year both politically and financially. In short, to come up with realistic “Predictions for 2009″. As history is fast-forwarding, some of these events have already taken place. Others look increasingly probable… and not half as far out as they appeared just a month ago.

Here they are, in no particular order

*** Dollar hits parity against euro by June 2009.

*** Oil bottoms at $12 per barrel by April 2009.

*** Gold falls to $500 as Indian economy crashes and Dubai abandons spending spree.

*** Russian troops wearing Gazprom uniforms invade Ukraine to “protect” natural gas pipeline. The Russian stock market collapses. Three European energy stocks soar. (Yes, there’s

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