Safe Harbors and New Frontiers -

Chances are you’ve heard the expression “any port in a storm.”

Those on land tend to take the phrase lightly. But for those at sea, it’s a much more serious matter, as two American ships recently discovered.

The New York Times recently reported that two U.S. minesweeping vessels were threatened by “a serious Pacific Ocean storm.” Caught far from home, the sweepers sought shelter in the waters of Hong Kong. China denied them permission to enter. Fortunately, the storm passed without inflicting damage, a lucky thing.

Those minesweepers had the right idea at least. Hong Kong has served as a “port in a storm” for centuries. The area’s importance stretches back more than 1,000 years to the Tang dynasty.

A little more recently (150 years or so ago), Hong Kong’s virtues were used to great advantage by the Taipans. And just who were the Taipans?

The original Taipans were fearless Scottish and English traders who built their fortunes linking Europe and the Far East. They shipped anything and everything of value across the high seas: tea, silk, opium, cotton, grain, bullion, you name it.

The most successful of the Taipans headed up powerful trading houses. Hong Kong became a pivotal base of operations for their merchant ships, with Victoria Harbour serving as one of the deepest sheltered harbors in the world.

Here and now, in the 21st century, we take a page from the original Taipans to form a different group of Taipans to search the globe. These Taipans make up the Taipan Publishing Group, a diverse group of editors and analysts helping investors, such as yourself, to discover new investment frontiers.

And just as those bold traders from years ago saw vast fortunes to be made linking East and West, there are new fortunes to be made in emerging markets and global investment opportunities. And that’s where the team at Taipan Publishing Group come into play.

With over 20 years of experience, we help you look for the safety you need with your investments – the cornerstone of any sound portfolio – with blue chips and dividend plays… and then introduce you to the more speculative waters of trading services, emerging markets and the lucrative sectors of technology, commodities and small caps. There are so many profitable investment opportunities out there… if you know where to find them.

From the Asian tigers to the new tigers of Eastern Europe; things are happening in South America, India, Africa, Indonesia, Russia and Turkey, just to name a few places. And billions of newly aspiring middle class consumers are hungry for bank accounts and lap tops and air conditioners and automobiles… new technology, new infrastructure, new wealth, and so on.

Over the next few decades, the lion's share of exciting investment opportunities will be linked to the developing world.

But there are dangers, too, of course as storms rage in markets, just as they do on the open sea. The original Taipans knew this all too well, and investors have been reminded of it recently.

In line with Hong Kong and the merchant ships analogy, the safety of Victoria Harbour represents the cornerstone of the sound investment portfolio. Everything should be built on a foundation of low risk and financial strength.

And then, once that base of safety is established, more aggressive opportunities can be pursued. Just as the Taipan ships ventured out into speculative waters for gain, the smart investor, once protected, can confidently venture out in pursuit of high returns.

Risk and reward, safety and opportunity… they are the yin and yang of trading and investing. It all ties together in the same way that a smart portfolio ties together. You start safe, and then venture out.

Commodities, currencies, software, technology, biotech, options, ETFs… there are countless lands to explore. And the team here at Taipan Publishing Group is here to help you find those fortunes.

To your new investment frontiers and safe harbors,

Justice Litle
Executive Editor, Taipan Publishing Group