Beijing Olympics Investing: Think Travel Stocks

The 2008 Olympics is quickly
approaching as we wind down toward the grand ceremony on Aug 8, 2008 at 8:08:08PM.<!--more-->
Despite all the negative political publicity regarding this event, the Olympics
is still the Olympics; unlike most sporting events, it happens only once every
four years; this means attendance will be high and viewership will be high. In
addition, the Chinese have picked a string of lucky numbers for the opening
date and time– the number 8 is considered a lucky number for which fortunes can
be made. I don’t believe in superstition but I do have reasons to believe that
investors can make a hefty profit in the markets.

In terms of investments, the Beijing government is
spending approximately $40 billion USD on venues and related infrastructure;
this is not including the billions of dollars they have already spent on
pollution control. Additionally, an estimated $3.5 million visitors will be
bringing their wallets to the games (Beijing Tourism Authority). And more than
60 sponsors are spending hundreds of millions of dollars at the event.