Barron's Recap: Meet The New China

This weekend in Barron's online: investment opportunities in Southeast Asia, the Barron's ETF roundtable, as well as the prospects for Ford, Brunswick, Cummins, Berkshire Hills Bancorp and more.

"

" by Leslie P. Norton. Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam are booming while China's export growth drops off, says this week's cover story in

. The article offers what investors need to know as these four nations, along with Thailand, follow the path blazed by China two decades ago. The article profiles each of these Southeast Asian nations to examine how surging exports mean more factories, more jobs, and more money for consumers to spend, promising better lives of millions living in in this economic block that Barron's is calling the New China.

"Keeping Active" by Beverly Goodman discusses how though the $2 trillion exchange traded fund (ETF) industry offers specificity and flexibility, active management cannot be ruled out. The panel of experts on the Barron's ETF roundtable explains why. Jack Hough's "Ford Stock May Climb 30%" takes a look at why Big Three automaker

has struggled this year, despite growth in its global market share. And see why the new aluminum F-150 pickup could give Ford a lift. In "Out of Dry Dock, Brunswick Is Set to Roar," Sandra Ward makes the case that the restructuring at the maker of Boston Whaler boats and Mercury engines is beginning to pay off. See why shares of

could rise 20 percent. Despite tougher competition, truck-engine maker

's

North American business is rolling along nicely, says "At Cummins, There's Still Plenty of Gas in the Tank" by Lawrence C. Strauss. See why its shares could gain 15 percent or more in the coming year. See "Big Ideas, Big Picture" for Sarah Max's profile of Morgan Stanley Investment Management's Dennis Lynch. Most of the 40 to 60 stocks Lynch's Morgan Stanley Institutional Growth fund are trailblazers, says the article. And discover what potential he sees in Amazon.com and others. In Dyan Machan's "Transforming the Business of Skiing," the CEO spotlight is turned on CEO Robert Katz of Vail Resorts. Barron's takes a closer look at how Katz brought modern business practices -- and some unconventional ideas -- to this rough-and-tumble industry. New England small cap

has struck a savvy deal to buy a competitor, according to David Englander's "A Boffo Outlook for Berkshire Hills Bancorp." See why Barron's thinks shares could rally 15 percent or more. "As Oil Prices Fall, S&P 500 Edges to New High" by Vito J. Racanelli suggests that stronger than expected retail sales are a sign that lower gasoline prices are a boost to consumer spending. In addition, see what's up with Halliburton, Baker Hughes and Arista. "Liberty for Leprechauns" is an editorial commentary by Thomas G. Donlan in which he discusses why tax collectors should keep their hands off the pot of gold at the end of the Irish rainbow.

Columns in this weekend's Barron's discuss:

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