Posted on 11/04/2007 2:02:22 PM PST by shrinkermd
Here is some interesting trivia about China:
It has the second largest GDP by purchasing power parity.
It has the fourth largest economy in the world by GDP. The poverty rate went from 53% in 1981 to 8% in 2001.
It is the second largest exporter in the world. It is the world's second largest importer of petroleum. It is is the third largest importer in the world. It is largest consumer of steel in the world. It is largest consumer of concrete in the world. The Shanghai Stock Exchange index rose 130 percent in 2006. Approximately 91% of the population is literate.
When the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China's largest bank, went public in October 2006, it was the largest IPO in history at the time.It is the largest country in the world by population, with about one fifth of the world's population residing there.
(Excerpt) Read more at seekingalpha.com ...
Of course if they used our poverty guidelines, it would be closer to 90%.
The Shanghai Stock Exchange index rose 130 percent in 2006.
And it will do the same in 2007 and 2008.
China must feed 21% of the world's population using about 7% of the world's arable land.
The amount of arable land in China actually decreased during the 1980's, as cropland was appropriated for new rural housing and urban expansion.
Source: U.S. Army Area Handbook: China
As you go to Wal Mart on your next visit, see what percentage of your food budget goes to the Chinese. I have the best produce in the area and Wal Mart won’t buy because I’m not “corporate”. That’s fine. I sell all day to Wegmans’s and Giant Eagles, et al. Any lead paint in your “children’s toys”?
Now THAT’S a significant statistic. Good work!
~ shoptalk
Since you're in the biz, can you answer a question for me?
There's a whole lot of full-grown corn, unharvested, on several farms southeast of Syracuse, NY. It was unharvested as of last Friday, anyway. It's turning kind of brown at this point.
Why is it there, and not in Wegmans?
(steely)
and international trade agreements do not classify China as a developed country.
bizarre given corn prices.
That's what I thought too.
Who is the largest exporter, I wonder?
Possibly it will be harvested as “Deer Corn”.
It is used for hunting in the South.
I saw an article, or maybe news story, a while ago that mentioned that hair dressers, waiters, etc are all investing in the Chinese stock market.
The report paralleled it to the tech stock boom here in the 90’s. They were predicting the same type of crash we had as well.
After seeing your 130% growth in one year, makes me wonder when their bubble is going to burst.
I don’t know the harvesting protocols for fuel corn. Maybe be similar to silage harvesting.
Actually, as of the last few days, China is now reported to be the world's leading exporter, having gone ahead of Germany:
Could that be due to a change in the way “exports” are counted? If germany sells something to france, is it an export? They’re both in the same economic union and use the same currency.
Yes, inside of the European Union trade does still count as an international export.
Also, these exports are counted by dollar value, and the dollar has been quite weak compared to the euro. So, for instance, supposing Germany were to send the same X euros worth of exports to France in 2006 and 2007, still in dollar value they would be counted as increasing since the euro has been stronger in 2007 than in 2006.
If we use the Democrat Party guidelines, the U.S. is closer to 90%.
Depends on the variety of corn ... field corn is fully dry (to a moisture of 15% or so) before harvest. Decorative corn would also be allowed to go down before harvest. Sweet corn is harvested while still tender.
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