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Have not been keeping up with what is going on on the bigger picture for a while.

A quick review.

US
The energy price is releasing its grip but is still a threat. Inflationary fear may cause interest rate to raise and growth slowed.
US likely to be full of trouble in the short to middle. Stay out of this market.

Europe
Signal are mxed but Europe’s growth look set to be slowed after some steady growth last year.
Eastern Europe to western Europe is becoming like the developing countries in Asia is to Japan. Providing low cost production, causing companies to move out, unemployment.
Time to take out some money to lock-in gain from investments here.

Asia
When considering Asia, it is customary to speak of ex-Japan. Japan however had been in the back seat for a long time. Sometime one wonders with the raising importance of China if Japan is secondary.

Markets in Asia are a mixed bag. India is growing in importance. The traditional 4 dragons of South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore are somewhat back in the growth track. Asian market are also much influenced by events in US since US is the major export for most countries.

I believe good opportunities exist in the other markets but question is how to understand them and pick the fund to go in with.
General Asian funds that focuses on the more mature should still enjoy growth and less uncertainties.

Japan
Looking at it only because I have fund in this market in order to have a balanced distribution across the markets.
Raising oil price could put a brake on growth since the country import all its oil needs.

China
Analyst are of the view that China will continues to do well. So do I. Being in China I can see how enormous and unstoppable the economic machine is.
Still there are risk of raising inflation with wages that doesn’t seem to follow up.
Suggest to lock in some profit but keep the bet here.

Singapore
Future looks shakely but knowing Singapore as I do, I believe it will stablise but growth will be subdued. Larger companies that began to look to overseas market should continue to do when with the growth around Asia.