LATIN AMERICA FUND ASSETS TO EXCEED $3 TRILLION BY 2020, DRIVEN BY APPETITE FOR ASIA – US AND EUROPEAN ASSET MANAGERS BENEFIT MOST

While still smaller than other global regions in terms of aggregate assets - around US$1.4 trillion in mutual fund assets and about $710 billion in pension assets - fast growth in Latin America as a region is capturing the imagination of investors, distributors and asset managers alike, with tactical and strategic opportunities prompting resource allocations and investments.

According to a new 110-page Strategic Insight research study on the region, ‘State of the Asset Management Industry – Latin America’, “depending on the global market environment the region’s mutual fund industry could reach between $2.8 trillion and $3.6 trillion in assets by the 2020, while its pension fund assets could approach $3 trillion –a total of over $6 trillion,” stated Daniel Enskat, Head of Global Consulting for Strategic Insight and author of the book.

The Florida governor just cost the state a huge number of jobs in construction, transportation and practically every other export related industry in the state.

After the already highly unpopular Rick Scott gets done posing for the signing of House Bill 959 and all his speeches at the Freedom Tower, a symbolic setting for the Cuban exiles, Democrats should thank him again for this latest mistake.

Everyone knows its a bad political season but that's no excuse for bad economic decisions.

It's clear that within a year or so, the 311-point reform package just passed in Cuba will create an economic power just 90 miles south of Florida that will test the limits of growth for Florida businesses and organizations that can help in the reconstruction.

For a more eloquent story on this check out the recent CNBC Special that aired in March of 2012.

"CUBA: FORBIDDEN FORTUNE

90 Miles off the coast of Key West, Florida is a hidden treasure, one that if opened could generate millions in revenue for US based businesses. That treasure is of course Cuba, a tiny island under the crush of economic sanctions but also on the edge of major transformation."

Heck, just the cement business alone would be a huge bonanza. Why let other suppliers get that business when in Florida, there are 7 cement plants, over 100 aggregate plants, over 300 concrete plants? And with the numerous support industries such as trucking companies, railroad's etc this translates into billions in payrolls for the state.

Influential business interests, including the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the governments of Florida's top two trading partners, Brazil and Canada, have warned the law would discourage investment from foreign firms. This is also an attempt to create foreign policy at the state level, something being discussed in the Supreme Court's review of the Arizona immigration issue.

The regulation amounts to a license for a witch hunt for anyone possibly doing business with Cuba. The conspiracy hunters need not look too far. It's very clear which companies would be affected by the legislation - Florida's already weak construction sector. And then consider every other business involved in regional trade and tourism, airlines, hotels, port facilities, and the list keeps growing.

One small bill. One very big mistake.

That's my take on it.

The conventional wisdom is that Argentina is starved for capital. Really? Is it true?

When you look at Argentina’s balance of payments, low foreign currency reserves and need to import more oil, it’s easy to agree on a need for capital, but don’t judge too quickly.

What would happen if Argentina thought about using the buyout techniques that hedge funds have used for years to create huge returns for the nation’s treasury? The answer is clear. The situation in Argentina would immediately reverse itself, money would start flowing in to the country.

As a financial buyer, Argentina could acquire the YPF shares that it expropriated this week from Repsol at fair value and under its own terms.

It could very easily pay fair value to acquire the controlling YPF or any other shares it needs with no money down.

Here’s a dream deal financing structure idea....Read more on Forbes.com

http://www.forbes.com/sites/investor/2012/04/19/argentina-shouldnt-steal...

Now you see it.. and now you don't. The one truth about hat tricks is that they are delusions. Here's a great article that highlights this.

With Europe Broken Again, Sarkozy And Lagarde Are Back To Begging -

What a difference a month makes. About 4 weeks ago the European crisis was "over" — French President Sarkozy exclaimed that: “Today, the problem is solved!” Christine Lagarde, former French finance minister, and current IMF head following the framing of DSK, added that “Economic spring is in the air!”... Fast forward to today when following the inevitable end of the transitory favorable effects of the LTRO (remember: flow not stock, a/k/a the shark can not stop moving forward), the collapse of the Spanish stock market, the now daily halting of Italian financial stocks, the inevitable announcement that shorting of financials in Europe is again forbidden, and finally the record spike in Spanish CDS, Europe is broken all over again. Which brings us again the Sarkozy and Lagarde. The Frenchman who is about to lose the presidential race to socialist competitor Hollande (an event which will have major ramifications for Europe as UBS' George Magnus patiently explained two months ago), no longer sees anything as solved, and instead is openly begging for the ECB to inject more, more, more money into the system to pretend that "problems are solved" for a few more months. Incidentally, so is Lagarde, for whom in an odd change of seasons, economic spring is about to be followed by a depressionary winter. The problem is both will end up empty handed, as the well may just have run dry.

• Abnormal Returns
• Aleph Blog
• Bespoke Investment Group
• Brad deLong
• ClientInsights.ca – Dan Richards
• Covenant Group, The
• DealBook – NYTimes
• Floyd Norris – NYTimes
• GuruFocus
• IndexUniverse.com
• Investment Postcards
• Jeff Matthews
• Long or Short Capital
• Market Movers – Portfolio.com
• MarketBeat – WSJ.com
• Nouriel Roubini
• Seeking Alpha
• The Big Picture
• The Wealthy Boomer
• U.S. Global Investors
• Wordpress Themes
• Zero Hedge

"Here's a great resource from the folks at PricewaterhouseCoopers." @latincapitalist

Per the census office:

More than half of the growth in the total U.S. population between 2000 and 2010 was because of the increase in the Hispanic population. Between 2000 and 2010, the Hispanic population grew by 43 percent, rising from 35.3 million in 2000 to 50.5 million in 2010. The rise in the Hispanic population accounted for more than half of the 27.3 million increase in the total U.S. population. By 2010, Hispanics comprised 16 percent of the total U.S. population of 308.7 million.

Do you think Venezuela will default by 2012?

EVER since Greece plunged into a sovereign-debt crisis in 2009, investors have focused on which European country might be next. According to Capital Economics, a research firm in London, however, the next trouble spot could be Venezuela.

http://www.economist.com/node/18233412

The real success of G-20 is that it highlights the importance of emerging market countries in the new economic order. On 15 November, Peru signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea; on 14 November, it also concluded FTA negotiations with Japan. What does this mean?

Last night Brazil’s Finance Minister warned of a global “currency war”. Interventions by governments like Japan and Brazil can only do so much. Calling your country's currency the most over-valued one does a lot more to keep inflows down. Are trade sanctions the next step? Not for Brazil. It needs all the open markets it can find to sell to and huge foreign direct investment to build it's energy sector.