The Macau Metro Monitor, January 18, 2011
TRAIN TALK MISSES THE STATION Intelligence Macau
IM disagrees with Citigroup's report on the positive effects of the upcoming Guangzhou-Zhuhai intercity railway. IM says the buses from Guangzhou to Zhuhai will continue to be the main avenue of transportation since 1) It is cheaper; 2) Direct route to Gongbei vs. the multiple stops and transfers on the railway; 3) Railway terminates 45 minutes away from the Gongbei.
IM also disagress with Citi's forecast that SJM will lose market share in 2011 and 2012. IM stresses that 1) SJM has the stickiest customers in Macau, mostly because of the clan-based associations of its 3rd-party casinos; 2) Grand Lisboa is expanding space for more tables; and 3) In contrast to the 5-star rooms being developed for Galaxy Macau and Lots 5&6, SJM has some of the most affordable hotels.
VIP BACCARAT ACCOUNTED FOR 72% OF MACAU'S GAMING REVENUES IN 2010 macaubusiness.com
For Q4, Macau had 4,791 gaming tables, a decrease of 47 from Q3. Slots also fell to 14,050 from 14,316. For 2010, VIP baccarat grew 69.91% YoY to MOP135.65BN; mass market baccarat rose 36.94% YoY to MOP34.92BN; and slots jumped 32.52% YoY to MOP8.62BN.
CHINA CUTS LOAN TARGET; FOREIGN INVESTMENT HITS RECORD Reuters, China Daily
According to sources, China's central bank has reportedly cut its 2011 lending target by 10% to between 7.2 trillion and 7.5 trillion yuan. New yuan‐denominated lending in China reached 7.95 trillion yuan in 2010. The figure surpassed the central bank's target of 7.5 trillion yuan.
OVER 75,000 IMPORTED WORKERS IN MSAR Macau Daily Times
In November, the number of non-resident workers totaled 75,098, an increase of 318 compared to the previous month. Mainland China continued to be the main source of imported labor; however, there was a slight decrease of 79 Mainland workers from 41,516 in October to 41,437 in November.
BELLE, LR KEEN ON PAGCOR ASSETS Philippine Daily Inquirer
On the much-anticipated Pagcor privatization, Belle's group leader Willy Ocier said: “We don’t know when that will be, but if and when they do, Belle and LR will obviously be interested in bidding for the casinos outside of Metro Manila and we are eagerly awaiting Pagcor’s terms of reference.”
