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Ben Kwok

Details and inconvenient truths go on the blogs

Writing a personal blog is becoming quite the fashion.

Winnie Ho Yuen-ki, 85, launched a blog, www.hoyuenki.com.hk, last week to reveal details of her 43 years of frustrations with her brother,  Stanley Ho Hung-sun, and his Sociedade de Jogos de Macau operations.

Not to be outshone by environmental activist Al Gore, Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao Sau-tung  this week unveiled her blog http://climatetruth.mysinablog.com to tell her version of the inconvenient truth.

So, what would be the most-read financial blogs in Hong Kong if they were ever created?

Here are seven suggestions from Lai See.

No7: Joseph Lau Luen-hung on the art of spending money - he has bought private jets and Andy Warhol's  Mao.

No6: Stanley Ho on all current affairs - everything from election rules, family management (four wives and 17 kids) and why his rival Sands should pay a jackpot to an underage girl.

No5: Jack So Chak-kwong on 'My life at PCCW' - a detailed account of how to put a company back on the blue-chip track and get a golden handshake.

No4: Cecil Chao Sze-tsung on how to be a playboy in Cheung Chau - he recently bought a piece of land on the island.

No3: Alex Arena on 'Utility Man' - a user manual on how to become chief financial officer, chief operating officer, and chief executive  at the same time.

No2: Lee Shau-kee on dragon investment - sooner rather than later investment gurus George Soros or Jim Rogers will start pushing for the 'dragon tail stock', namely China property counters, after sitting on huge profits from what is known as the dragon head stocks, or the five mainland banks and the country's three big insurance companies.

No1:  Richard Li Tzar-kai on real democracy - the PCCW boss called for universal suffrage in 2012, and recently visited Taiwan not just for building another Cyberport, but to seek an overseas headquarters for democracy.

Blind follow the blind

Equity analysts are not the only momentum-driven creatures who base their forecasts on sentiments.

Reader Urs Heggli kindly pointed out that some fung shui masters (namely Mak Ling-ling, Peter So Man-fung and Betty Palko) last year predicted there would be no second term for Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, who will be officially crowned for another five years on Sunday.

A year later, Ms Mak and Mr So switched to predicting that Mr Tsang would become chief executive.

Of course no press reports really suggested otherwise.

Strangely, our dear reader said, no one ever checks the success ratios of the soothsayers, noting that 'it is weird that so many people follow blindly'.

Arabian nights

Blame it on the beautiful night view of  Victoria Harbour.

Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed bin Talal (below) stayed up past 3am on Tuesday morning at his presidential suite at the Four Seasons Hotel and had to cancel a breakfast meeting with acting Chief Executive Rafael Hui Si-yan.

Prince Alwaleed and his wife appeared in a happy and relaxed mood in spite of their short visit, the prince even joking with reporters: 'Can you guess who she is [pointing at his wife]? My mother, sister or wife?'

Remuneration and tariffs

You don't need an analyst or fung shui master to fairly predict how much Hongkong Electric executives will pocket every year.

Last year, the total remuneration of the 16 directors was up 8 per cent, slightly more than the 7.2 per cent tariff increase effective in January  last year.

Group managing director Tso Kai-sum  (left) made HK$14.62 million, up 3.5 per cent.

Next to him was Francis Lee Lan-yee,  whose package was up 5 per cent to HK$8.4 million.

We'll watch with interest for board pay this year after a moderate 2.5 per cent tariff  increase.

Magic of  Disney hotel

Hong Kong Disneyland may still have a disappointing attendance, but the occupancy rate in its hotels appears to be doing very well.

Over Easter, Disneyland executives will go to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to receive a top award  at a  hotel industry summit meeting and annual ceremony for running the country's best thematic hotel.

The four-star Disney Hollywood hotel, which is famous for its piano-like swimming pool, has a near 90 per cent occupancy rate, Lai See understands.

Maybe the award presages better attendance at the theme park.

Happy Easter to all readers!



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Donald Tsang

Lai See