Emerging Markets

BRAZIL Some 50% of respondents to a Merrill Lynch emerging market investor survey in August said they were bullish on Brazil. Reaching a similar conclusion, rival Morgan Stanley predicts Brazilian markets will see further upside, despite recent US market turbulence, ...

CHINA       Feeling the squeeze: Chinas shoppers face swiftly growing prices. China’s central bank increased reserve requirements for the seventh time this year in September in a losing battle to control the growth in bank credit. Outstanding loans ...

China     Cost concerns: Rising food prices are fueling inflation. Investors anxious about overheating in the Chinese market had more cause for concern this month as China’s National Bureau of Statistics revealed that consumer prices rose by 5.6%, year ...

Global     Microfinancing, which provides small collateral-free loans of between $15 and $200 to help people in poverty set up their own businesses, is increasingly taking center stage in the battle to eradicate poverty. At the fifth World Chambers ...

EU ACCESSION HOPEFULS Preparing their economies for entry to the European Union is yielding dramatic results for accession candidates and providing inspiration for those that aspire to follow them.   Kiev: Banking market set for sharp growth. While EU accession ...

Dr news     American and global depositary receipt trading was easily at an all-time high in the first half of 2007 and was higher than every full-year total since 2006, according to The Bank of New York Mellon. The ...

ISRAEL Past wars and threats of future ones just can’t stop Israel’s economic engine plowing ahead.     Past wars and threats of future ones just can't stop Israel's economic engine plowing ahead. During the past year, Israel’s economy grew ...

Russia     Friends in high places: Deripaska (right) and Putin. French oil firm Total unexpectedly signed a deal in mid-July with Kremlin-controlled gas giant Gazprom to help develop the massive Shtokman natural gas field. The Russian government had earlier ...

Argentina       Double act: Nestor Kirchner and the presidential hopeful, Mrs. K. Argentine First Lady and senator Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is poised to replace her husband, President Nestor Kirchner, in the top post in the October 28 ...

QATAR     The only way is up: QFC moves to new, gleaming headquarters.   Rich in natural gas, the Gulf nation of Qatar has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, with increasing demand for financial products and ...

India     On track: Delhis new subway trains. The metro railway authority in New Delhi placed a record order for 340 subway coaches with Bombardier Transportation, Montreal-based Bombardier’s Indian subsidiary. Worth $590 million, the order is the largest ever ...

News     Institutional investors are showing a marked preference for developed market equities over emerging market shares as they rein in risk in their portfolios in response to recent market volatility, according to a research report by State Street ...

Brazil     Brazil’s strong capital markets recovery and IPO blitz has prompted international investment banks to put the country back on their radars. Lehman Brothers, which exited Brazil in 2003 amid a near market collapse, has reopened its São ...

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE   The EU’s newest members struggle to balance growth with stability.   Prague's stock exchange is one of many in the region that are attracting foreign investors. Despite recent political maneuverings by Russian president Vladimir Putin, ...

Company to watch: china boqi environmental solutions technology / china     Based in Beijing, one of the world’s most polluted cities, China Boqi Environmental Solutions Technology has plenty of work to do. “Environmental protection is a big task as ...

In this month’s cover story we look at the seismic changes that have been taking place recently in the balance of power in Latin America...

China     China will further open its financial sector following the second Strategic Economic Dialogue in Washington, DC, in May. As a result of the meeting, China will ease restrictions on foreign securities firms, allow foreign banks to issue ...

Latin America     There is no longer any doubt that Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez’s “Bolivarian Revolution” is having a significant economic and political impact on Latin America. The question now is, Will it last? It’s 11 o’clock in the ...

Regional Report / Gcc     Shariah structures and returns are appealing to a growing range of international investors.   Dubai boasts the biggest exchange in the world for sukuk listings Islamic finance was designed for Muslim investors who want ...

Regional Report / Gcc   Competition for talent in the banking industry is driving up costs as demand for financial services expands.     El-Labban: Talent is more likely to join or stay on at a growing bank   As ...