items in Hong Kong

 are less likely than in China to be counterfeit.

A stream of customers in Tsim Sha Tsui’s Canton Road yesterday carrying bags of Vivienne Westwood, Gucci and Burberry brand products and speaking in Mandarin, showed that a $350 billion decline in the value of stocks in China since mid-April has failed to kill off the tourist trade. Their spending may help to limit what Morgan Stanley and Daiwa Capital Markets say is set to be a second straight quarterly contraction in Hong Kong’s economy.
In July, sales jumped 29 percent to HK$35.2 billion ($4.5 billion), also a record gain excluding January and February figures that are distorted by a Lunar New Year holiday. Sales of jewelry, watches and clocks soared 52 percent from a year earlier. For electronics, the increase was 65 percent.

will FXCM survive?

August 12, Chicago - National Futures Association (NFA) has issued a Decision imposing a $2,000,000 monetary sanction against Forex Capital Markets LLC (FXCM) in settlement of a Complaint issued by NFA's Business Conduct Committee on August 12, 2011.

0811

There must be a limit to the mistakes one person can make, and when I get to the end of them, then I'll be through with them. That's a very comforting thought.
Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942)

Where there is sorrow there is holy ground.
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900

Make the workmanship surpass the materials.
Ovid

The world is full of willing people: some willing to work, the others willing to let them.
Poet Robert Frost

can we trust these data?

Upd.: Seems, I got it )

- Food, you know I just couldn't stop thinking about it.
- Yeah?
- Yeah. So, I went to the fridge and I opened up the meat drawer. You know where the meat drawer is, right?
- Yes. What was in there?
- I'll tell you what was in there! You know that bacon that's like maple? That's got maple taste
- The maple kind- yeah!
- Yeah. So I took that out and I thought..
- Yeah?
- I know who would like that!
- ?
- Me! And so I ate it!
- O-o-h! No! You're kidding me!
- Nope! Not kidding... You know I also noticed there was also some beef in there! Yeah, you know. Steak! You know, juicy! well, I ate that too!
- O-o-o-h!
- But I went back to the fridge. Just a few minutes ago. And I put something together very special. You're gonna love this one. I took some chicken
- Yeah?
- I put some cheese on it.
- Yeah!
- Then I covered it with...
- Cover it with what?
- Covered it with cat treats!
- yeah!
- Then guess what?
- What?
- I gave it to the cat!
- Aaaaaah!