Carlton Delfeld reveals his latest global ETF picks and warns of leveraged funds.

Q. Carlton, in your last newsletter, you commented on the low valuations of several global markets, including Ireland, Singapore, UK, and Sweden, among others. Have you since added any ETFs from these regions to your portfolios?

A. Yes, I have added iShares MSCI South Africa Index (NYSEArca: EZA), iShares MSCI Singapore Index (NYSEArca: EWS), and the iShares MSCI United Kingdom (NYSEArca: EWU). South Africa is in part a currency and commodity play. The United Kingdom is very much predicated on global financial recovery, and Singapore will likely be a core holding.

Q. Each of these regions seems to have its own stress points right now. Do you think that South Africa is particularly vulnerable to a global slowdown? Hasn't Singapore been hit hard by the bear market in China? And isn't the UK just moving into a housing decline that may rival that of the US?

A. South Africa, China and the UK are all trading at attractive valuations. They all have challenges. The South Africa Rand has been a strong currency and will come back with higher gold prices, the UK is already moving through the housing issue and its financial-oriented market has already been hammered. Lastly, Singapore is a very high-quality China play.

The need to fulfill promises of increased aid for Africa, and a general agreement between the United States and Russia on an approach to Iran's nuclear program took center stage as leaders from the Group of Eight industrial nations met Monday in Japan, The Associated Press reported.

President Bush, attending his last summit as a sitting U.S. president, underscored the importance of providing aid for Africa, calling on wealthy nations to provide mosquito netting and other aid to prevent needless deaths, the AP reported.

Basic items - - even equipment as basic as mosquito netting - - can reduce mortality rates in sections of Africa. Mosquito netting prevents children and others from dieing of bites from disease-carrying mosquitoes.

In 2005 the G-8 pledged to increase global aid to $130 billion, and increase assistance to Africa to $50 billion. ONE, a nonpartisan group working to end extreme poverty, predicted that the U.S. and the United Kingdom will meet their commitments, while France, Italy, Germany and Canada are off the mark, Bloomberg News reported Monday.

Increased global food aid likely

Economist Glen Langan, whose specializations include agricultural economics, said increased aid for food and agricultural development will likely be announced by G-8 leaders at the summit, or soon thereafter, due to the rising cost of food's impact on poorer nations. "The aid will be targeted to meeting basic needs first, but with an eye toward directing some funds to self-sustaining agriculture," Langan said, adding that Africa "has the potential to achieve food production gains greater than South America."

It's a forgotten continent but Africa holds lots of potential. There are opportunities for infrastructure investments. What's more, with the surge in commodities prices, there has been an influx of capital.

We are already seeing some dealmaking: the biggest wireless carrier in Africa, MTN Group, appears to be in talks for a merger with Reliance Communications.

Now there may be another deal. It looks like Telkom (NYSE: TKG), a South African fixed-line operator, is in play. A group of players -- Mvelaphanda Holdings, Och-Ziff Capital Management (NYSE: OZM) and other strategics – are interested in purchasing the company. Although, there is a hitch: Telkom needs to unload its wireless unit, Vodacom Group, which is a joint venture with mighty Vodafone (NYSE: VOD).

And it becomes even more complex as South Africa owns 38.9% of Telkom, which can slow things down. What's more, it will not be easy coming up with an agreeable valuation.

However, investors are optimistic. In Monday's trading, Telkom's shares were up 6.79%.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

Just a year ago, if you mentioned "sovereign wealth funds," you probably would have gotten a blank stare. But, of course, this is now the hot thing in finance. More importantly, it looks like sovereign wealth funds are poised for strong long-term growth. In fact, Lehman Brothers (NYSE: LEH) recently set up a division to capitalize on the mega trend.

Sovereign wealth funds are found in many countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. It's the inevitable consequence of some major forces: strong economic growth in emerging economies, the fall in the US dollar and spikes in commodities prices, especially oil.

Global Insight, a research firm, estimates that sovereign wealth funds have grown an average of 24% per year for the past three years. They have about $3.5 trillion in assets, which is more than private equity and hedge funds combined.

No doubt, sovereign wealth funds have become a key element in global finance. For example, they contributed to about 28% of M&A deals (in January 2008) and about 10% of private equity transactions.

Global Insight forecasts that – by 2015 – sovereign wealth funds will exceed the value of the GDP of the US economy. And, I'm sure, the funds will also own a big chunk of it as well.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook (www.mergerbook.com) and is also a principal in Averiware, which provides an ERP system to small and midsize businesses.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• According to people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal reported that JP Morgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM) is in talks about potentially taking a half-interest in Target Corporation's (NYSE: TGT) credit-card operations for about $4B.
• The Wall Street Journal also reported that executives at Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) met with Yahoo! Inc (NASDAQ: YHOO) executives earlier this week to discuss Microsoft's takeover offer for the company, marking a breakthrough in communication between the two companies.
• HSBC Holdings Plc (NYSE: HBC) wants to expand its operations in sub-Saharan Africa, the Financial Times reported, as the region becomes increasingly significant for the bank's Asian and Indian clients.

OTHER PAPERS:

• Due to its plunging stock price and the expected departure of millions of subscribers this year, sources are speculating about the fate of Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE: S). While analysts believe a company such as Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT) may look to buy Sprint, the Associated Press reported that neither Sprint nor its potential suitors are commenting.

The economic landscape -- particularly for the United States -- certainly looks different than it did 30 or 40 years ago.

Globalization, the internet, and the rise of a second major economic power in Asia are all developments that would look rather odd to someone in, say, 1973-74. The world in 2008 is one characterized by economic change -- one that may usher-in even more historic political change in the months ahead.

But there has been one constant between the two eras (overlooking cyclicality): the price of oil. It was high, in real terms, in 1973-74, and it's high now. And one thing economists like Glen Langan know regarding economic conditions when oil's price is high -- it simply makes the cost of moving things, the cost of doing pretty much everything, more expensive. Whether it's dropping the kids off at little league baseball or at soccer practice, or transporting a supply chain order of refrigerators across the country, a high oil price "simply increases the cost of motion," he said. And there are few positives for the U.S. economy. Further, it takes dollars that could create spin-off economic effects -- disposable income that could be spent somewhere else -- and simply removes them from the economy.

Every once in a while there's a compelling research report issued in the Concrete Canyon that goes virtually unnoticed. Wall Street, so often caught up in the mood of the market 'right now,' sometimes drifts past data and fails to fully-publicize information that reveals fertile ground and investment opportunities.

That may have been the case with U.S. Global Investors' infrastructure report.

The report, entitled "Infrastructure: A Global Opportunity for Investors" notes that $41 trillion will be needed to modernize urban water, electricity, and transportation systems globally, during the 2005-2030 period, according to an estimate by Booz Allen Hamilton. In the United States, the figure is $1.6 trillion, according to research by the American Society of Civil Engineers. There are two distinct but massive infrastructure tasks: in emerging markets, a massive build-out to support growth; in the United States and the developed world, a focus on repair and replacement, according to U.S. Global Investors.

In the 1989 motion picture "Dead Poets Society," actor Robin Williams, playing school teacher John Keating, inspires his new students to take advantage of opportunities presented in life, to "seize the day." Well, if Robin Williams will allow, now is the time to "seize the day with Schlumberger." (Pronounced: shlum-bur-ZJAY.)

Oilfield services company Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB) is likely to benefit from growing demand for oilfield services technology, particularly in the high technology-dependent Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe regions.

Further, although North American margins have narrowed somewhat so far in 2007, international margins widened. Overall, in 2008 analysts see SLB's margins totaling 30% -- still a very healthy figure -- with revenue growth of 12-14%.

If the industrialized - - and the industrializing - - world needs a wake-up call regarding the development of alternate and renewable energy sources, the nations need look no further than the International Energy Agency's research.

IEA projects that between now and 2015, the world will need an additional 37.5 million barrels per day of oil to meet rising demand. Currently, the world use about 84 million barrels of oil per day. [Oil closed Thursday down 91 cents to $95.46. A convergence of events, including strong global economic growth and geopolitical concerns, has pushed oil's price up more than 135% in three years; traders see oil testing the $100 per barrel mark in the weeks ahead.]

And here's the riveting statistic from the IEA: current oil production development plans will add only about 25 million barrels per day by 2015.

And what about that 12.5-million barrel gap? The gap, the IEA said, must be made up through further investment or easing of demand.

If the gap is not filled, a supply shortfall will result, the IEA said. "'A supply-side crunch in the period to 2015, involving an abrupt escalation in oil prices, cannot be ruled out," the agency said.

Oil Analysis: While oil consumption increases are expected in every region in the world and by dozens of nations, the importance of the United States and China in marshaling any energy coalition cannot be underscored enough. Each is the primary engine of growth in its hemisphere. Each has the private, public, and university-based economies of scale necessary to both implement conservation measures and development new energy sources - - practices that smaller nations in each region would undoubtedly mirror. Finally, each - - by virtue of the sheer size of their consumer bases - - can decisively "move the needle" toward increased energy efficiency and, along with it, toward less CO2 in the atmosphere, in the years and decades ahead.

For just a moment, let's try to forget the perceptions we have in our minds of a barren, desolate Africa. Sometimes it is easy for us to forget that there many areas on the African continent that possess great wealth in natural resources, but the Chinese aren't forgetting. China has been making big moves into the continent in pursuit of natural resources, mainly oil, to fuel its growing demand.

I ran across a great article today over on The New York Times online regarding the growing interest China is paying to African countries such as Sudan. Sudan is one of the countries in Africa that has a sizable amount of oil resources, but so far has yet to be fully developed. The question is why? Why is it that in today's world, where oil seems to be the most important resource for developed countries, there are places like Sudan not being developed?

After all, it was only just a little over a week ago when Russia went so far as plant its flag under the North Pole, but has not gone into Sudan. Why? The answer is that countries like Sudan are viewed (and arguably correctly so) as being too volatile for a country to set up shop. Civil wars have gripped the region and corruption is assumed to be fairly widespread.

GE Healthcare recently announced that it will join forces with Columbia University's Earth Institute, directed by Jeff Sachs, to address pressing healthcare needs in rural Africa. Over the next 5 years GE Healthcare will donate $20 million worth of water filtration systems, power generation systems, healthcare materials, and other equipment to be used at UN Millennium Village Project sites in as many as 10 African nations with particularly acute rural health care needs. The UN Millennium Village Project is designed to reduce extreme poverty, hunger and disease by improving community health and reducing infant and maternal mortality rates. Participating countries include Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda and Malawi.

In addition to providing healthcare and water filtration equipment, GE will offer its expertise for industrial infrastructure development. This will insure that adequate training in the use and maintenance of the equipment is provided so that Millennium Village Project sites will continue to benefit from GE's donation. GE Healthcare's donation will be combined with contributions from other NGO's to expand the reach of the Millennium Village Project.

In the U.S., GE Healthcare recently signed a 15-year deal to supply stem cell harvesting systems so that parents can have stem cells from their children's umbilical cords harvested and stored for possible later use to treat such diseases as leukemia, lymphoma and genetic blood disorders. ThermoGenesis Corporation developed the stem cell harvesting system called AutoXpress System. GE Healthcare will control the manufacture and distribution of the AutoXpress System. ThermoGenesis Corporation expects to gain $50 million in revenue over the course of the 15 year agreement.

General Electric (GE) ended the day at $33.97, down 17 cents, a .5% decrease in its price. Although the price remains static, GE's main interesting move this week is their initiative to expand its healthcare offerings into 10 African countries.

GE is not content to cater to just developed countries, and looking at the company long term, it is an interesting gamble. It's part PR, but on the other hand, GE realizes that by having the edge throughout the world, as the rest of the world develops further, it stands at the lead. In this fast paced world where everyone looks to week by week performance, it is interesting to see a company looking so long term.

Starbucks [SBUX] has a voracious need for high-quality arabica beans (as opposed to the cheaper robusta beans traditionally favored by your traditional grocery packager of big red cans of coffee). Its ever-expanding business model requires it to take the lead in ensuring steady growth in economically-viable coffee-growers throughout the developing world.

The Daily Monitor of Addis Ababa reports (Via allAfrica.com ) that Starbucks is set to triple the amount of coffee beans it buys from African countries beginning with 2007's growing season. SBUX currently buys just 5% of its beans from the four coffee-producing African nations: Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. The company pledges to pay better than "conventional markets" for the beans -- provided,  the article notes, that the "prices and conditions coffee beans are traded with at each level of the transactions" are transparent.

This is in keeping with the Coffee Farmers and Equity (CAFE) program that Starbucks itself created to  "evaluate, recognize, and reward producers of high-quality sustainably grown coffee" with Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) an independent evaluation and certification firm.