An outstanding book was just released about the rising nations of Asia.

Now, I may be a bit biased because I already know of and respect the work of a couple of the book's authors (it was co-written by three: Yiannis Mostrous, Elliott Gue and Ivan Martchev, editors of the Silk Road Investor, Energy Strategist and Global Viewpoints newsletters, respectively).

I've also found that what I've come to respect the most over time is balance. My commentaries sometimes stir the pot a bit because I'll rail against arguments from those I perceive to be stopped clocks; recently I've tended to call out perma-bears, but I feel the same way about those who can never seem to envision anything but sunny skies for the economy and markets, folks who have historically been mainstream Wall Street strategists.

What I prize most in other commentators is a little nuance and a willingness to re-examine and change one's opinions when called for. It's just my personal preference.

This is why I think so highly of "The Silk Road to Riches: How you can Profit by Investing in Asia's Newfound Prosperity," just released by Financial Times Prentice Hall publishing.

With their expertise in energy and international markets, do the authors acknowledge the strains the rising Asian economies are putting on the world's natural resources? Of course. They don't, however, go on to fill pages with horror stories about how oil will soon run so dry that not only will nations go to war, but neighbor will fight neighbor in a frantic battle for every drop, as at least one peak oil book has literally predicted.

Do they assert that within a generation China will become the world's largest economy? Indeed, yet the authors are reasonable enough to also recognize that for now, the nation is still reliant on U.S. consumption and would be dramatically impacted by a meaningful consumer slowdown here, as opposed to some who suggest that if U.S. consumption went south, the Chinese wouldn't skip a beat, they'd simply start consuming all their output themselves. With an under-developed banking system and virtually non-existent credit markets, such an assertion is just plain silly at present.

Broadly speaking, the authors recognize today's enormous economic imbalances and the potential threat to the U.S. Dollar as the world works toward a new global pecking order, economically. Although China ends up at the top of the list in time, the authors allow for a number of possible paths that get us there; unstable as the path may be at times, it isn't doom and gloom we're promised as a result. This book sees the emergence of Asia broadly speaking as a positive for East and West alike, which is refreshing.

And I'm not the only one who thinks so. The book is quickly receiving high praise, including from the likes of Dr. Marc Faber, who says, "Finally...a book that combines serious analysis with specific investment recommendations... about the world's largest and most powerful economies."

Well said. The Silk Road to Riches is the perfect book for these most interesting economic times in which we live.

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