Global news and insight for corporate financial professionals
Countries worldwide are struggling to provide for the pension needs of their increasingly aging populations. Encouraging private provision is only part of the solution. Paying for retirement is an expensive business. As more people look to retire early, there are ...
It may not be the “spectacle of growth” that President Lula promised, but Brazil’s economic recovery is becoming more robust and sustainable. Although recent economic data point to a gradual economic recovery in Brazil that began last year, some local ...
Sector Report: Oil and Gas Uncertainty in the oil and gas industry over future prices is forcing global banks to look harder for potential funding opportunities. With global energy prices hitting new peaks, and all the indicators from the futures ...
In-house banks are becoming increasingly popular among larger multinational corporations. They may not work for all big companies, though. Petroleum giants BP and Shell each have one. So do Dutch electronics company Philips and the US communications network provider Lucent. ...
Best Hotels and Airlines Recent increases in business travel clearly reflect the global economic upturn. But while travel is up, spending is not. GLOBAL WINNERS BEST GLOBAL HOTEL CHAIN Four Seasons BEST GLOBAL AIRLINE Singapore Airlines The business travel industry ...
Commentary: Governance Reform Sarbanes-Oxley has caused concern among foreign firms that want to conduct business in the US. Now, US companies are increasingly facing similar legislation abroad. By now enough ink has been spilled over the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that the ...
Focus: Hedge Fund Services The hedge funds industry is growing rapidly, attracting both new investors and companies looking to service this dynamic market. As investments into hedge funds reach record levels of around $1 trillion worldwide, interest is growing in ...
The path to running a successful business in China is riddled with ? pitfalls.? But? with careful?forethought most problems can be avoided. Big multinationals have been in China for years. Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Nokia and other blue-chip companies staked ...
Financial Software As the financial planner’s job becomes more complex, the tools available to help are becoming ever more sophisticated To say that the corporate business cycle is volatile and competitive these days is an understatement. Many companies, large and ...
Special Feature: Southern Africa The challenges may be huge, but a handful of southern African nations are getting a boost in their efforts to fight poverty and improve their economic fortunes. Early in June, on a steamy afternoon on Sea ...
World’s Best Sub-Custodians Global Finance selects the winners in a specialized area of finance that enables global investing to exist. Sub-custody involves a wide range of securities services, including clearance and settlement, safekeeping, cash management, record keeping, securities lending, client ...
FOREIGN EXCHANGE Analysts Say Inflation Could Erode Value of Dollar THE AMERICAS The US dollar appears ready to resume its longterm declining trend, as net foreign purchases of US assets are slowing, analysts say. Higher interest rates are not likely ...
CORPORATE BONDS Numerous companies with below investment-grade ratings have canceled or delayed proposed debt sales in recent weeks, as borrowing costs have increased. Other issuers, in the US as well as in Europe, have been forced to offer more-attractive terms ...
CHINA General Motors announced it will invest more than $3 billion in China over the next three years, trying to displace Volkswagen as the leader in the red-hot auto market. In response,VW will double production capacity to 1.6 million units ...
RUSSIA The endgame in the battle between former Yukos Oil Company CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky and President Vladimir Putin appears to be near. Khodorkovsky’s trial on charges of fraud and tax evasion was slated to start— after several delays—in late June. ...
World’s Best Sub-Custodians Global Finance selects the winners in a specialized area of finance that enables global investing to exist. Sub-custody involves a wide range of securities services, including clearance and settlement, safekeeping, cash management, record keeping, securities lending, client ...
ARGENTINA When Argentine President Nestor Kirchner made a proposal, during last year’s IMF meetings in Dubai, to restructure $88 billion worth of defaulted sovereign debt, he was emphatic that the government would hold firm on an offer that asked bondholders ...
UNITED STATES Chief financial officers from US companies in a broad range of industries say the biggest risk to the US economy is domestic terrorism, not rising interest rates. According to North Carolina-based Duke University’s latest CFO Outlook Survey, conducted ...
FOREIGN EXCHANGE Analysts Say Inflation Could Erode Value of Dollar THE AMERICAS The US dollar appears ready to resume its longterm declining trend, as net foreign purchases of US assets are slowing, analysts say. Higher interest rates are not likely ...
CORPORATE BONDS Numerous companies with below investment-grade ratings have canceled or delayed proposed debt sales in recent weeks, as borrowing costs have increased. Other issuers, in the US as well as in Europe, have been forced to offer more-attractive terms ...
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS New Wave of Mergers Sweeps Across US Banking Industry THE AMERICAS Two new top-10 US banks were created by recent mergers, as the consolidation in the financial sector continued. Royal Bank of Scotland extended its reach into ...
GLOBAL DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS Study Finds ADR Issuers Are Unfazed By Sarbanes-Oxley THE AMERICAS The corporate-governance standards demanded by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are not causing issuers of American depositary receipts to avoid the US market, according to a new study. The ...
EUROPE The Enron accounting scandal may have sparked a wave of knee-jerk regulatory measures (Sarbanes- Oxley,FAS 133),but Europe’s top 1,000 companies are more concerned with the risks associated with poor customer service, a new study indicates. Despite the current preoccupation ...
CHINA It looks like China might be able to pull off a feat that even the United States was unable to achieve after the stock market boom of the late 1990s. According to Stanley O’Neal, chairman and chief executive of ...
EUROPE European and US bank executives are no longer automatically finding the best bargains in far-flung locales like India when they search for locations to outsource their complex back-office functions. Instead, says Owen Hall, managing director of GFT UK in ...
INDIA He is extremely capable, politically savvy and known for his ability to package complex financial information into the 60-second sound bites demanded by today’s global and local media. And Palaniappan Chidambaram—India’s new finance minister—even has the extra edge that ...
