Investment Ideas for the Beijing Olympics

3/31 - "Beijing is spending at least $40 billion on venues and related infrastructure, all with the goal of showing to the world a modern country that has grown into a political and economic powerhouse...an estimated 3.5 million visitors will be bringing their wallets to the games. More than 60 sponsors, some of which spent $100 million each just to be associated with the Beijing Olympics, also have opened up their checkbooks."

"A leading economy hotel chain such as Home Inns & Hotel Management Inc. (HMIN) stands to reap a tidy profit from the increased traffic that will be pouring through China....Web portals will be busy as billions of frenzied fans sign on for updates on their favorite events. Baidu.com Inc. (BIDU) , China’s leading search engine, will do well, no doubt, but Sohu.com Inc. (SOHU) might be a more unconventional play...Sohu is a popular provider of online entertainment, information and communication. And it’s the official Chinese portal for the Beijing Olympic Games."

"With its climate-change program, China is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 950 million tons over the next two years. To accomplish that goal, China’s going to have to find a new source of power, and so far nuclear energy seems to be Beijing’s best option.

In addition to the 11 nuclear reactors already operating in China, the government is looking to build 30 more nuclear power plants...What does this add up to? Possibly a big run-up in the price of uranium...Cameco Corp. (CCJ) has been called the "Saudi Arabia of Uranium" because it is the world’s largest producer, accounting for 20% of global supply. It’s also straight downstream from a glut of cash contained in a new energy bill that offers $18.5 billion in loans to cover the construction costs of new nuclear plants."