Flying into Singapore, it strikes me how much Singapore is a central hub for Asia. Mile after mile of ships line up in it's ports ready to distribute goods throughout the world from this important trade connection point.
As I mentioned in my previous blog, many investors do not recognize that investing in countries often means concentrated positions in specific sectors.
In the case of Singapore, trade and finance are the primary investment sectors. When trade came to a stop in 2008 during the financial crisis, hundreds of ships could be seen from high-rise skyscrapers, docked and not active in transactions. Conditions have certainly changed in a short two years; commerce is flowing once again.
Likewise the financial services business has bounced back from a difficult time and Singapore again is a busy hub for worldwide transactions within Asia.