Since July 2007, the U.S. sub-prime mortgage problems and the increases in credit spreads over government bonds have triggered concerns about a global credit crunch, and caused global stock market volatility.

However, financial institutions in Asia are in a relatively good position with respect to the credit crunch since they have less exposure to sub-prime mortgage instruments than those based in Europe or the US. Some foreign capital is being redirected to Asian property markets, seeking to benefit not merely from the natural appreciation of real estate in dynamic economies, but also from appreciation of Asian currencies against the US dollar, particularly the RMB.

Foreign investors have shown no sign of scaling back Asian real estate investment activity, especially given the relative scarcity of investment grade properties. The combined value of the quarter’s ten largest investment deals in Asia amounted to US$9.3 billion.

In Singapore, a total of S$15.69 billion worth of investment transactions was recorded in the third quarter, a y-o-y increase of 94%, reflecting continued strong local and global investor interest in office properties as well as Singapore’s positive economic fundamentals. The main market drivers were office transactions and continued activity by developers adding to their land banks. At S$40.95 billion, total investment sales in the first nine months of 2007 have already exceeded the total for 2006 as a whole by 34%.

Investment activity in the office sector more than quadrupled q-o-q in the third quarter, with the S$6.83 billion in transactions accounting for 43.5% of investment sales. With rents at an all-time high, REITs and foreign funds remained keenly interested in prime office properties. The sale of Chevron House (formerly Caltex House) to Goldman Sachs for S$630 million (S$2,783 psf) set a new benchmark for office transactions. The sale ranked tenth in the list of the top ten largest investment deals.

CapitaLand divested its interest in Wilkie Edge, a mixed development including office space, to Capital Commercial Trust for S$182.7 million. CapitaLand also acquired the remaining 50% stake in One George Street and The Adelphi from its partner in Eureka Office Fund Pte Ltd for S$715.75 million. K-REIT and Suntec REIT each paid S$941.5 million for one-third stakes in One Raffles Quay. The deals took number 6 and 7 in the list of top ten investment deals in Q3 2007.

In the second quarter Japan’s real GDP growth fell 1.2% y-o-y, entering negative territory for the first time in three years. However, the consensus opinion is that the negative growth is largely a reaction to the high pace of expansion over the previous two quarters, and the economy is likely to expand at a moderate pace. Although the US subprime crisis influenced the Bank of Japan’s decision to keep the overnight call rate at 0.5%, the BOJ remains optimistic about the economy in most regions.

Despite some volatility resulting from the potential global credit tightening, investment market sentiment remained largely positive in Hong Kong, supported by strong economic fundamentals. Local investors continued to dominate the market while institutional players value the market’s transparency and liquidity. Notable en bloc office transactions in the third quarter included the sale of Oterprise Square for HK$2.07 billion and a 45% stake in AIG Tower in a structured deal.

Investment interest in Seoul’s major districts remained intense in the third quarter, with many investors seeking properties through transactions due to the limited supply of buildings on the market. However the sales of Seoul City Tower and Daewoo Center, both located in the CBD, established new benchmarks for capital values. With the steep rise in capital values in major districts, investors increasingly considered opportunities in secondary areas including Sangam Digital Media City, Pangyo IT Valley and Bundang-gu.

The series of macro-economic and regulatory measures introduced to curb investment activity through the end of June 2007 did not lead to any significant reduction in interest among overseas investors in China.

In Beijing, Singapore-based serviced residence management firm Frasers Hospitality bought a luxury residential project, Tower D of OFFICE PARK, located in the core CBD from Sino-Ocean Land Holdings for RMB 980 million. Czech real estate investor ECM bought the 768,485 sf Metropolis Tower, which is Tower C of the Zhongguancun Financial Centre, for RMB 1.06 billion.

Despite additional government measures to curb foreign investment in real estate, Shanghai’s investment market remained buoyant in the third quarter. China Real Estate Opportunities invested approximately US$708 million to acquire a portfolio of mixed-use projects including City Centre in Changning and Central Plaza in Huangpu, and Hong Kong-listed Tian An China Investments and Capital Strategic Investment established a JV to acquire Novel Plaza for US$105 million. Other major deals included Grosvenor’s acquisition of 28 duplex apartments at the Lakeville Regency and Pacific Star and SEB’s purchase of Cross Tower.

Despite continuing macroeconomic control measures, positive sentiment prevailed in Guangzhou’s investment market in the third quarter. Attractive investment yields underpinned investor interest in the city’s office and retail sectors. Increased overseas participation in land acquisition and development and the growing financial strength of domestic companies have resulted in escalating land prices, as record accommodation values were paid in a number of districts over the quarter. A villa project adjacent to Nanhu Lake was reportedly transacted for RMB 2 billion on an en bloc basis.

One of the misnomers about an offshore bank account is that it is only for the very wealthy. An offshore corporation plus offshore bank account is more economical than one might think. An offshore bank account is an account that you open in a country or jurisdiction outside your own. Thus opening an offshore bank account is a good place to begin on the freedom road and such an offshore banking relationship can provide the foundation of what follows. The most obvious legitimate reason for opening an offshore bank account is the cash-flow advantage of getting interest on deposits paid gross, without the withholding tax usually imposed on non-resident bank accounts. One of the numerous benefits of opening an Offshore Bank Account is that they are often situated within tax havens, which means that the individual pays less tax.

Offshore Bank Account

Most offshore bank accounts come with a cash card that can be used to withdraw funds anywhere in the world. Offshore Bank Accounts the Ultimate Protection Seeking to protect you money in an offshore bank account once someone has laid a claim to your assets just won’t happen, its already too late. An additional benefit of an offshore bank account is that if you are not willing to leave a high tax nation you can benefit by moving money to a tax free secure and private haven. Asset security and privacy is what the offshore bank accounts and the financial world are designed to accommodate.

Opening an Offshore Account

To actually open an overseas bank account, you must firstly do some research – which country and which bank will be most suitable for your needs. Although you may not need any of these things; opening an offshore account can be as straightforward as just having a checking or savings account. Most people who open an overseas bank account want to enjoy the significant tax breaks that this will give them. A passport, a driving license, and a untilty bill are all you need to open an offshore account.

Privacy

Offshore privacy can no longer be taken for granted. Having a offshore bank account may be something you can explore in regard to banking privacy, being insulated from predatory lawsuits, building your assets and to legally avoid excessive taxation. This is a popular choice for people who are very particular about their privacy and anonymity. For maximum privacy and asset protection, however, the best advice is this: Establish an offshore corporation to own your offshore bank account. The Anonymous Panama Corporation adds in a nice thick layer of privacy protection. Right now, a secure, private bank account is reserved for your personal use in countries with some of the strongest bank privacy laws on earth.

Investment

An offshore account is an excellent way to diversify investments and take advantage of global tax savings. Sure you have to report your earnings in most places and pay taxes, but you can still open up an offshore bank account for greater investment possibilities, protection from domestic lawyers who might want to sue you for your life savings and for greater financial privacy. And, you must report any interest payments or dividends you have received from any offshore investments made using that account. You can have instant access to the world’s best investment opportunities, including currencies and precious metals without concern about your home nation’s legal restrictions.

Legal

The proper way to open an offshore bank account is through an experienced law firm offering offshore legal services. As a matter of principle the rights to privacy can be suspended when a criminal investigation is underway. Don’t rely on banking secrecy being upheld if you are engaging in illegal activites. Some countries like Panama are more tolerant than others.

Services

Typically a tax free haven is offered by countries that have little or no means of exporting goods and services to offset the imbalance they would otherwise have in terms of their overall currency exchange. You may want to consider other services the bank offers, such as different types of accounts, credit cards and safety deposit boxes. There are advantages either way here – a larger bank may offer greater security and more services, but with higher fees. Many offshore banks offer a full range of private banking services, but have certain terms and conditions that need to be met by their clients. An offshore corporation combined with the quality banking and commercial services found in Panama consistently meet the needs of diverse types of clients.

International

If you’re in regular receipt of international transactions it can make sense to establish an offshore company structure in a jurisdiction like the Seychelles where no tax is levied on income generated outside the jurisdiction and where such a company is not required to fill out annual financial or activity reports. Such a company can then open and hold an account which can be used for international personal OR business transactions. If you’re moving overseas you have a number of choices available to you – you can let your current bank know and they may change your account type to be an international account. You can then use this account to pay bills back home and conduct international transactions.

Visa

The way these programs work is Visa and MasterCard do not know who the actual card holder is – no date of birth, no address, no tax id numbers etc. So a subpoena to MasterCard or Visa would produce very little and since the bank is in a country with bank secrecy this avenue is going to be a long burdensome process that would be unlikely to be pursued and could only be pursued by a government in a criminal matter. The more private way of doing this is to get a Visa or MasterCard debit card from another bank, not your Panama bank.

Bank ATM Debit Card

Some people obtain an ATM card from another unrelated financial institution. These cards typically have no name imprinted on them which right away adds to your privacy protection. These cards also do not leave a trail to your real bank. Money can be transferred to the ATM card by wire from your Panama or other bank account and then withdrawn as needed. Some people are fond of using these cards to cover corporate expenses like travel, entertainment and other business expenses. Usually the ATM card purchase requires a copy of a passport.

Offshore banking has many advantages, some of which include the access to politically and economically stable jurisdictions, and the lower cost and higher interest rate. You can use a foreign bank account as an integral tool in an aggressive, two-pronged offshore wealth strategy. In other words, an offshore private bank account is not just a place for safekeeping cash. You might think it is a bit odd at first to open an offshore account when away on holiday but if you are going to that destination anyway on holiday it makes something nice to do one day.

Open your eyes my friends, there are major things happening today in this world. These trends will have a great effect in your business, some will directly affect your network marketing business, some will indirectly affect your network marketing business. The choice of ignorance of these trends will NOT be bliss 5 years from now.

A major trend in the world economy is the rising power of India and China, along with other nations gaining massive momentum.

A second trend happening now is the openness of mass collaboration, social media, internet, and technology.

The third trend is unfortunately a floundering US economy.

Over the next decade life and business will be changed due to these 3 trends. Many behemoth companies will perish. Many up and coming companies will excel. All currently existing companies including your home based business must see and take into account these major trends to stay on the edge, and to prevail through the next 10 years.

Let us take a closer look at the first trend of the rising powers of India and China. This is important because India represents 1.1 billion people and China represents 1.3 billion people. India’s well-educated, young population has embraced state-of-the-art computer and information technologies, making their country one of the most important high-tech hubs in the world. This will enable you to soon be 1 click away from a large percentage of their entire population.

India’s information technology and computer companies in Bangalore have been named as the world’s second Silicon Valley. The expanding middle class, robust military establishment and the country’s increasing sophistication in high-technology are shaping India as one of the rising political, economic and military powers. China is a different story, but the rise in both is inevitable. Knowing about it and taking action is important to anyone looking to build their network to dramatic sizes.

In regards to the second trend, the rapid growth of technology. There are many causes for this, the major one being the usage of mass collaboration. Did you know that Wikipedia recently had its 10 millionth article posted? They do not have employees doing those posts. Those post are done only by volunteer editors. Do you know how many people have created Myspace, Facebook, and hundreds of other websites into what they are today? Hundreds of Millions. If you are on the internet, you have most likely taken part in this mass collaboration consciously or not.

Mass collaboration is happening not only on the internet, it is happening among regular companies as well. Boeing, BMW, and PG&E are only a few companies utilizing the powers of the masses. As this technology grows ever stronger, knowledge will excel, and those utilizing these mass collaborative technologies will see quick success. This trend is backed by freedom of choice and true winning ways of doing business. Companies utilizing these means of doing business are opening their doors, and succeeding at dramatic rates compared to being closed and only relying on internal networks.

You can take advantage of today’s remarkable technology and mass collaboration in multiple ways for example, you can take part in social networks, in social forums, and through creating your own small business groups to help everyone succeed faster. We live in a WE world, not a ME world. The internet has put us in a place where we can be in touch with almost anyone at any time. Because of the rapid pace of innovation, technology is improving faster than most people can handle. There is no reason to let this hold you back from learning.

The third trend is a floundering US economy. Will it turn? I have hope, as do many others.

Would you invest your life savings on hope? Your retirement? Your dreams? Would you bet your entire future on that 4 letter word. I will not, and I recommend that you take the action required to learn the skills you need to push through and become self sufficient, and non reliant on outside sources for your future. You have to in a sense learn to become your own bank. The currently failing economy got many sparks from the falling housing and mortgage market, as well as continual sparks from layoffs and downsizing of multiple large companies. There are tons of ways to get ahead out there, and due to all the positive trends previously discussed the opportunities are endless.

Network marketing is one great way to get ahead, if the sustained time and effort is put forth, success will be achieved. With all of the trends above in mind, a network marketing business makes a lot of sense.

In closing, it is important to note that these 3 massive trends are not separate from one another. The rising powers and capabilities of the world are exponentially increased with the fast paced innovations in technology, which are all rapidly increased by the powers of mass collaboration. The floundering economy of the US can take these trends into account and get better quicker by utilizing these trends, or as a whole. Or, as a whole the US economy may not take the trends into account, and therefore will deplete itself to worse conditions.

The purpose of this article is by no means political in nature. Partly, the purpose is to help you open your eyes, and to inspire you to look deeper into these trends. At large, the main purpose of this article is to demonstrate that IF you learn, take into account, and go into action mode in regards to these massive trends, the probabilities for your success have never been as good.