"WuXi PharmaTech (Cayman) Inc. (NYSE: WX) provides laboratory and manufacturing services for the drug and medical device R&D process," notes China stock specialist Jim Trippon.
In his The China Stock Digest, he explains, "Because Chinese researchers receive much smaller paychecks than their Western counterparts, Shanghai-based WuXi is able to lower the cost of this research." Here's his review.
"We have often heard major Western pharmaceutical companies complain of the extraordinary cost of discovering and developing drugs.
"More costly than the laboratory infrastructure is the burden of paying for armies of highly trained, highly paid chemists, researchers, analysts and physicians. WuXi has become the secret weapon of many big name global pharmaceutical companies.
"China educates tens of thousands of engineers, chemists and technologists, and outsourcing that expertise has become a growth industry. WuXi became a leader in this trend in 2000 and has gone on to attract an impressive roster of clients.
"The firm's senior management team consists of Ph.D.s and MBAs with experience in drug and medical device R&D. Wuxi management has more than 200 patents pending or granted, and has published more than 800 scientific publications.
"I think now is a particularly opportune time to buy the world's largest fast-food company, YUM! Brands (NYSE: YUM) ," says Louis Basenese.
The associate investment director and contributing editor to The Oxford Club observes, "YUM Brands operates 35,000 restaurants under the KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut brands." Here's his review of the firm's outlook, including its expanding role in China.
"For starters, YUM keeps extending its streak of impressive results. For the seventh quarter in a row it beat expectations. Earnings per share increased 16% for the quarter and 28% year-to-date. Not to be overlooked either is the fact YUM raised guidance. Again.
"This quarter, fewer than 5% of companies in the S&P 500 can boast this triple whammy (beating earnings and revenue estimates and raising guidance). Ironically, while most of the other triple-whammy stocks enjoyed hefty single- and double-digit run-ups on the announcements, YUM sold off.
"And here's where I think most investors are missing the boat, and once again focusing too heavily on the short term. Yes, YUM's in a pinch. Food costs are rising and consumers are spending less.
"I had been waiting for what I thought would be the inevitable turnaround in Chinese stocks. Much to my dismay, that turnaround hadn't really materialized -- that is, until now.
"For the past couple of months, the value of the iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index (NYSE: FXI) has undergone a prolonged move to the downside.
"However, the recent strengthening in price has led me to believe that a short-term bottom may be in place for Chinese stocks. I now am recommending that you add the iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index to your portfolio.
"I like to say FXI is the Dow Industrials of China. This investment seeks results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the FTSE/Xinhua China 25 index.
"As FXI has just started to turn off of its lows, I think it has a strong possibility of moving up another 5%-to-10% from here. Make the move into FXI and jump on that fast train to China. We also note that the iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index just underwent a 3-for-1 share split."
Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers the latest market commentary and favorite investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.
"Growth investors can hitch their portfolio to any number of Asian stars; I think one big winner is going to be China Mobile (NYSE: CHL)," says Tony Sagami in his specialized Asia Stock Alert.
"Mobile phones are much, much more than telephones to Asians. If you travel to Asia, one of the first things you'll notice is how most locals walking down the street have mobile phones glued to their ears.
"It would be a big mistake to think of China Mobile as simply a mobile phone provider. In addition to traditional calling services, the company offers value-added services such as voice mail, conference calling, instant messaging, text messaging, as well as accessing the Internet.
"Even though the price of computers has fallen dramatically in the last few years, a personal computer (PC) is still out of financial reach for the average Chinese. Meanwhile, mobile phones are both cheap and capable of many of the same functions as PCs.
"Look, $500 to $1,000 dollars for a PC may seem reasonable to you and me, but that is a small fortune for the typical Chinese consumer, who makes less than $3,000 a year.
'The tech world has been waiting for the one of the more natural technological marriages to happen. I'm talking about merging the useful functionality of hand-held GPS devices with the mobile phone.
"Along with that anticipation has been the speculation of which cell phone maker Garmin would team up. The mystery is over! Instead of teaming up with somebody, Garmin itself is entering the cell phone business.
"The company will leap into the mobile phone market during the third quarter of 2008 with its new Nuvifone - a one-of-a-kind communication tool, because it has all the bells and whistles of the iPhone plus Garmin's great navigation system.
In his specialty newsletter, The China Stock Digest, he explains "Simply put, the Chinese love to gamble, and the combination of their new freedoms and new wealth have uncorked a gusher of revenue."
He explains, "Melco has delivered industry-beating earnings growth in the booming Macau gaming, entertainment, and hospitality industries. The company's recent reorganization has lifted it from a loss to profitability. Net revenue for the first quarter of 2008 was $482.9 million, up from $179.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2007. That's a 267% jump!
"Net income for the first quarter of 2008 was $43.2 million, compared with a net loss of $36.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2007. In a few short months the company's key asset, Crown Macau, has become the busiest casino in the world in gaming volume.
"Macau's government announced in April that it would rein in the booming gaming industry by halting the issue of new licenses and by freezing land allocations for the construction of more casinos.
"The company's latest quarterly results only reinforce that belief. The Chinese are signing up in droves for basic English classes that are offered by New Oriental.
"First quarter profits rose $11.6 million, to 29 cents per share, from $8.4 million or 22 cents during the same period a year ago. That, by the way, is well above the 23 cents Wall Street was expecting.
"Revenue jumped from $32.8 million a year ago to $48.1 million, a 47% spurt. That number is extremely impressive given the fact that China was hit with its worst snowstorm in 50 years and caused many classes to be canceled.
"Beauty is as beauty does, the saying goes, and Avon Products Inc. (NYSE: AVP) has delivered a beautiful earnings report," says Jack Adamo in his industry-leading Insiders Plus. Here's his latest.
"Despite a 14% increase in advertising (or perhaps, because of it) the company delivered EPS up 26%. In North America, the only underperforming region, revenues continued their slow downward slide. But active representatives increased for the first time in ages, which may brighten the future on the company's home turf.
"International sales continued to soar. Latin America was 19% higher in local currencies, and 32% higher after translation into the American Peso, also known as the U.S. Dollar. In Central & Eastern Europe, first-quarter revenue rose 17% (6% in local currency). Revenue in China grew 29% (19% local). Only Japan dragged things down a bit with its 2% gain.
"I believe the #1 rule for making money in the next decade is to get long whatever the Chinese are buying," says Tony Sagami in the Asia Stock Alert.
"China will need to consume an unprecedented amount of natural resources to fuel its red-hot economy," says the advisor who offers his speculations as to the most likely takeover candidates in three areas -- energy, metals and food.
"There's no doubt in my mind that China is on a buying spree. And I'm not just talking about oil, either. Fact is, the Chinese have a ravenous appetite for virtually all commodities.
"While I don't have any inside knowledge about what companies the Chinese have in their sights, I do know what industries are strategically important to their lofty growth objectives.
"China needs energy - and lots of it - so you can expect frenzied buying activity to lock up reliable supplies of multiple sources of energy. In my book, oil, natural gas, coal, and uranium are all key players. My #1 pick for an energy takeover: Cameco (NYSE: CCJ), the largest uranium producer in the world.
Referring to his long-recommended position in YUM! Brands (NYSE: YUM), Louis Basenese exclaims, "I've spent 1,308 days tracking its price movements and written 11,239 words expounding its virtues."
Indeed, the associate Investment Director for The Oxford Club states, "If I could only recommend one stock to own for the next decade, hands down YUM! Brands would be the one."
"YUM! Brands, operator of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, is quietly transforming itself into an international juggernaut. Today, roughly half of its operations and profits come from outside our borders. Tomorrow (okay, not that quickly, but soon), more than two thirds of its business will be based outside the United States.
"And the transition and timing couldn't be more perfect. More than half the word's investable market capitalization is now outside the United States. And that percentage keeps growing.
While many know that Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are the two wealthiest, Tony Sagami notes that few know the third: Sheldon Adelson. In his Asia Stock Alert, he explains, "Adelson is the founder and CEO of Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS), our latest featured stock." Here, he looks at the gaming company and its bright prospects in Macau.
"Due to its strategic location in the South China Sea, Macau has a rich history as an Asian trading hub. To this day, it looks more European than Asian. And its popularity with tourists is absolutely exploding - an estimated 27 million visited Macau last year.
"The majority (55%) came from mainland China, but many more visited from Hong Kong (30%) and Taiwan (9%). These tourists are flocking to Macau not because of its history or picturesque seaside location. They're coming to gamble.
"And boy, did they gamble! On my last visit to Macau, I saw table after table filled with boisterous high rollers routinely making $100,000 bets. These 'whales' account for about 80% of Macau's gambling revenues.
"Today, Macau has become the Las Vegas of China. It is the only city in the region with fully legalized gambling. And gambling is deeply engrained in the Asian culture. Plus, Macau is within a five-hour flight of three billion people - nearly half the world's population.
"A new era could be dawning in Taiwan," says Asia region expert Keith Fitz-Gerald. Here, the editor of The New China Trader looks at an ETF and a mutual fund favorite to benefit from this forecast.
"While there were many reasons we recommended investing in Taiwan, perhaps the single most important was the potential for Taiwan to assume its role as 'China's real beneficiary.'
"We have been reasoning that President-elect Ma Ying-jeou would be far more interested in working with China than antagonizing it, as his predecessor did. We have also suggested that he would 'get on it' sooner rather than later by making relations with China a top priority.
"Indeed, Vice President-elect, Vincent Siew has already 'unofficially' met with Chinese President Hu Jintao on the sidelines at the Boao Forum for Asia. While it's too early to pass judgment, it could set the stage for a new era based on the friendly nature of the meeting according to observers.
"It could also set the stage for a longer-term pan-Asian economic boom. That would be great for the region but especially China and Taiwan, which have had bone-chillingly cold relations for years.
"For China, a fresh start is important because it would allow Beijing to demonstrate peaceful intentions at a time when Tibet and the Summer Olympics have become a lightning rod for all things Chinese.
"For Taiwan, a thawing would lead to new economic development and, we think, previously unheard of levels of business interaction. It would also potentially carry huge trade volumes and stability into the surrounding countries.
Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers the latest market commentary and favorite investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.
"Oil prices have made the headlines recently," says Martin Hutchinson in The Money Map Reporter. "But the miracle fuel of the 19th Century is coal, the forgotten fossil fuel."
"Coal is located primarily in politically stable, friendly countries - most notably the U.S. market itself. Coal prices have zoomed northward during the past year. The current spot price is around $135 per metric ton, more than double the level of a year ago. Meanwhile, coal production is running way ahead of forecasts.
"In 2005, the World Coal Institute reported production of 4,970 million metric tons, up 78% over 25 years. The main reason for coal's growth is that 80% of China's power needs and 65% of India's come from coal-fired stations.
"Since both India and China are expected to quadruple their power consumption by 2030, most of that increase must come from coal-fired stations. What are the best buys in the sector?
"Suntech Power Holdings (NYSE: STP), one of our long-time favorites, is now back on our buy list after being driven down in price by U.S. market volatility and the fallout from a recent earnings report," notes Jim Trippon.
The editor of The China Stock Digest explains, The company is world leader in the manufacture of photovoltaic solar cells and solar electric systems. And, it is developing a new technology to increase solar efficiency." Here is his review.
"The company's solar cells are used to supply power to the electricity grid within China, and it's the number one company in the Chinese solar energy industry. The company's systems also provide dependable power internationally for mobile phone networks and telecommunications relay stations and even street lamps in case of power outages.
"Certainly China is in desperate need of clean renewable sources of energy. Residents of major cities like Beijing and Shanghai are constantly enveloped in a choking cloud of smog. Beijing has said it wants a tenth of its energy to come from environmentally friendly sources by 2010.
"The problem with solar energy has always been the high cost of manufacturing solar cells relative to the amount of power output per cell. Suntech is attacking that problem with rigorous cost control and the competitive advantages that low cost Chinese manufacturers enjoy in the international arena.
"The Olympics have long been a boon to stock markets of host countries," notes Tony Sagami, a leading global stock advisor with a noted specialty in Asian markets.
In his Asia Stock Alert newsletter, he notes, "I believe the chief beneficiaries of the Olympic Games will be consumer and travel-related stocks. And within these sectors, I've chosen six stocks poised to bring home Olympic gold from Beijing."
"We saw a 19% gain in the Spanish stock market in the 12 months before the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and the 27% gain in the Greek stock market in the year before the 2004 Athens Olympics. And those countries were not growing at a fraction of the breakneck pace that China is. So it wouldn't surprise me to see the Chinese stock market do even better.
"It seems like every person I see in China has a cell phone glued to their ear. And the cell phone is not just the primary voice communication medium in China; it is also the common way most Chinese access the Internet and email. In China, the cell phone 'is' the personal computer.
"Heck, most new high-rise condominium and apartment complexes being built in China aren't even wired for land lines. Once you understand the device's role, you'll see why China Mobile has more cell phone users (360 million) than the U.S. has people. I expect a lot of cell phone calls and text messages during the Beijing Olympics!
"I believe the #1 rule for making money in the next decade is to get long whatever the Chinese are buying," says 
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"The Olympics have long been a boon to stock markets of host countries," notes 
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