Chinese Power
Research for Online Investors

8/8/12

Chinese power plants generated 453.69 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in July.  The Chinese State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) reported power consumption growth of 5.5% for the first six months of 2012.

The SERC released the report online this morning.  The China Times reports the growth in electricity usage slumped this year because of the economic slowdown which resulted in less electricity usage by energy intensive industries.

An interesting fact in the article was that less than 4% of generated electricity had to be transferred out of the region where it was generated.

The New York Times carried an excellent article yesterday concerning the Chinese military, (Communist) Party Bristles at Military’s Push for More Sway in China.  Military leaders are becoming more outspoken.  This demanded attention because of the transition of leadership that is scheduled for later this year.

China is challenging other nation’s claims on the South China Sea.  Areas off the coast of Vietnam and the Philippines are considered prime for deep sea oil production.  China is aggressively moving into disputed areas to claim the natural resources for their companies.

There were skirmishes with Chinese fishermen on disputed Philippine islands in the last few months, resulting in warnings from Beijing.  Last year, China disputed Japan’s claim over islands in the East China Sea.

According to Asia Times, China is becoming more aggressive by exploiting tensions between other neighboring nations that are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).  China bares claws in maritime dispute is a good catch-up or background article on China’s relations with her neighbors and all out push to gain access to hydro-carbons.

Egyptian military forces moved into the Sinai region early this morning to crackdown on Islamic militants.  The militants are bunched in the Northern part of Sinai, close to the Gaza Strip.  They cross into, and back from, Gaza through a series of tunnels that have been used to transfer weapons for use against Israel.

Most of the militants are Bedouin tribal members according to Reuters.  They live around Shaikh Zuwaid and Rafah, which is where the armored vehicles were stolen Sunday night.  The Bedouin tribe is suspicious of the Egyptian government and shields the militants, which allows them to mount attacks and then return home.

The militants are not always welcome by townspeople.  Militants ‘scorn them (others) as heretics for following less hardline religious interpretations of Islam.’  The Egyptian government and military need to walk a fine line to capitalize on this rift or risk alienating the wider population of Bedouins.

Two Egyptian soldiers were killed Monday in a firefight with militants around Sheikh Zuwaid.  Helicopters were seen firing missiles on gunmen that attacked three Egyptian military positions overnight.  The militants had attacked the soldier’s positions overnight.

The market is consolidating gains and we think teetering on moving lower.  Without a headline to push stock prices higher why buy at the top of the market?

The mailbag:
Mr. Buffett is an altruist in the philosophic meaning of that term. He holds, as an underlying premise, that helping others is the only way to be good and being selfish is evil.  He ignored this in investing and now, in my opinion, feels guilty about it and is trying to make up for it. Capitalism, the system of government that protects his right to make money, is based on the ethics of individualism, not altruism, and so he attacks Capitalism in order to further Altruism that he holds (subconsciously I believe) is the only basis for doing good.---subscriber P.L.

John’s reply:  Sounds a lot like what used to be known as “white guilt.”

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