1. Anyone know if there are any trading firms located in Panama? 2. Anyone else interested if there was a trading office in Panama?
http://www.thalessecurities.com/ Go there, they're the best one down there in my opinion...The owners are from Switzerland and they have had experience in the industry that they are bringing from there, to Panama, on purpose...They also have trading desks.....Have Fun Vizion
if you go down there can you find out for me what some old panama bonds from the 1950's my family owns are worth? ( I am not kidding ... although I think they are worthless )
i might be intrested i'm looking to open an eurodollar prop group somewhere what are the advantages of panama over the us?
Yep, I'm interested (having just established a) where it is and b) the tax rates. The link posted above looks ok... anywhere else?
Vizion, I have heard of thales securities but I did not know they had trading desks. Good info, thanks. SethArb, I am planning on making a trip sometime before the end of March. I'll keep you posted. Advantages of Panama over the US? More freedom in a tropical location that has super high speed net connections.
I am interested as well. I haved family in Panama and travel there every year ( will be going for X-mas). Have been researching setting up trading for offshore money there as well. Good thing about Panama is that it uses U.S. Dollar but interest rates are much higher than in U.S. due to perceived ecnomic risks (they are worse at budgeting and corruption than us lol). However Panama has NEVER defaulted on its debt (even during Noriega fiascos), all major banks have offices there and are extremely safe so you can put cash in Panama treasuries or bank CDs and earn anywhere from 200 to 500 basis points above what you earn here. Merrill Lynch is down there as well but most brokers are more the retail broker type rather than trading desks. The real traders are most likely private and do not advertise. Panama has U.S. standards but many things cost half as much. So if you can trade there and make the same you make here, you live like a king
Initially Panama real estate took some hits in 2000 because the U.S. presence was gone and thus a large pool of renters went with them. It was quite easy to buy a house or condo for nothing and rent to U.S. soldiers/canal workers at higher than market rates because the rents were still less than in the U.S. However in 2000 Panama also reclaimed a lot of prime real estate and has gone on an amazing building tear the past 4 years with new gated house communities, condos and shopping malls. They also built two new highways which allowed developers to build outside of the city near the highways so the city has expanded. But it is not like the U.S. where you can buy and rent out and flip properties. Not the same market as here. The real investment in real estate is from the residential developers who are building and the commercial developers who have put malls and restaurants in the Causeway and other reclaimed areas. Panama home prices have certainly increased based on the average prices I see in the papers, but the income still lags severly so I have no idea how most people afford homes. Mortgage rates are about the same as here but perhaps the financing terms are better.