SIX months after the government raised electri-city charges, small and medium-size businesses in Yangon say they have weathered the price hike well and that the higher costs are easier to cope with than erratic supplies.

Bamboo price bump: Workers load bamboo onto a cart for delivery at a bamboo sales centre in Kyeemyindaing township, Yangon. Bamboo prices are expected to peak this month due to transportation difficulties between the rainy season and the onset of cooler, dry weather, bamboo traders in Kyeemyindaing township said.

THAILAND has emerged this year as the biggest foreign investor in Myanmar, contributing 53 percent of all foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country since the government began a shift towards a market economy in 1988, a government official said October 27.

The UMFCCI earlier said Myanmar would have 50 booths displaying a range of goods at the third China-ASEAN Expo 2006, which was held on the sidelines of the China-ASEAN Commemorative Summit that brought regional leaders together to discuss trade, security and other issues.

DAGON International Ltd, a major Yangon housing developer, will allow its customers to pay in installments over a one year period in a bid to attract more interest in its latest housing subdivision, the company’s director said.