DrHelen:

I'm really impressed that you invest directly in Chinese stocks, Alan.  The more I learn about those markets the more scared I get--too much potential for government meddling to my mind. ... I have my doubts about how well people who were raised to hate capitalism can run a market.  Are your stocks fully independent or partly government? Were you holding them through the big recent hit?

Okay, I'm trying not to laugh at "impressed"--especially after Erryl's expression of what might have been "alarmed" at the same confession.

I, too, was raised (in Washington, DC, no less) to be suspicious of capitalism, and that's not a bad thing, as long as you can also be pragmatic. Chinese people have gone all over the world and established themselves as savvy businesspeople. I don't see why they couldn't do the same in their home country.

While I've avoided the major industries which I know are government-run, I don't know how much govt control there is in my stocks. Didn't really think about it much. And no, these are all recent acquisitions. 

So what's impressive? That I'm so naive about how to research stocks that I can pick Chinese ADRs with the same half-blind guesswork that I use on US and European stocks? :-)

DrHelen:

And finally, I hope some of you who know more than I do will be willing to help write starting posts--Kerry and Alan both seem like good candidates.  What sorts of approach will give us focus? What do we all need to know about global that will make us better investors?  Where are the good sources of information?