Global news and insight for corporate financial professionals
CHINESE SOLAR-PANEL MAKERS FACE TRADE TARIFFS IN EUROPE By Thomas Clouse Chinese companies face trade friction in Europe now that the European Commission has imposed tariffs on Chinese solar panels. The EU charges that Chinese companies are ...
MILESTONES: FINLAND By Paula L. Green Even though the financial fortunes of mobile-phone manufacturer Nokia continue to weaken, Finland is not letting go of its reputation for technological innovation. The Nordic country seems intent on sustaining the type ...
CORPORATE FINANCING NEWS: CORPORATE DEBT By Gordon Platt US interest rates have been in a general declining trend since 1981, when Paul Volcker was Federal Reserve chairman and the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 16%. A sell-off in the bond market ...
SAFETY FIRST By Gordon Platt Safeguarding client assets has never been more important in this era of global economic uncertainty —and even subcustodians are finding themselves increasingly in the spotlight as a result of sovereign and commercial pressures. ...
The quantitative easing launched in recent years by the central banks of the United States, the eurozone and Japan is entering a new phase...
NEWSMAKERS: LATVIA By Gilly Wright Praised by both the EU and the IMF for passing painful austerity measures, Latvian prime minister Valdis Dombrovskis will soon be rewarded by seeing his country become the 18th member of the eurozone. ...
DESPERATE TO DIVERSIFY By Kim Iskyan The countries of central Asia are working hard to become more than one-trick ponies, as each struggles in its own way to reduce economic reliance on a single growth driver. The five ...
BRAZILIAN PORTS OPEN TO PRIVATE INVESTORS By Antonio Guerrero The Dilma Rousseff administration signed into law new regulations that open the country’s ports to greater private-sector investments. Approved in June, the policies are expected to help attract ...
CORPORATE FINANCING NEWS: MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS By Gordon Platt Shanghui International, China’s biggest pork producer, agreed to pay $4.7 billion to acquire Virginia-based Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer. If the deal succeeds, it should be the biggest ...
MODEL FOR GROWTH? By Vanessa Drucker The Troika’s “darling of reform” is in its third year of recession. Citizens—and policy-makers—want to see the promised economic rebound. Portugal and the European Union depend on one another. On the one ...
A GLOBAL CONNECTION SWIFT’s annual Sibos conference is just around the corner, and this year attendees will gather in Dubai. With Middle Eastern companies following the trend now seen in many emerging markets and increasing the sophistication of their ...
TRADING IN THE GREEN By Udayan Gupta At Global Finance ’s monthly Salon, Izzet Bensusan, executive director of renewable-energy investment boutique Karbone, discussed the market dynamics, financing and investment oppor-tunities for alternative energy. PHOTO: KATE FREY Given a politically ...
MILESTONES: BANGLADESH By Udayan Gupta Even as Bangladesh tries to extricate itself from the Rana Plaza building collapse, the Dhaka disaster that killed more than 1,100 garment workers, one private equity fund is trying to infuse new capital into ...
SUNSET, OR A NEW SUNRISE? By Michael Shari Brazil faces a monumental challenge in meeting the expectations of its citizens, corporations and global investors over the next several years, as the nation invests heavily to host the World Cup and ...
CORPORATE FINANCING NEWS: GLOBAL EQUITY/DRS By Gordon Platt The pace of capital raising using depositary receipts has accelerated sharply from last year, and the pipeline of future issues is strong, DR bankers say. Much of the recent activity ...
CORPORATE FINANCING NEWS: FOREIGN EXCHANGE By Gordon Platt Volatility has returned to the currency markets, as participants weigh the likelihood that the Federal Reserve could dial back on its purchases of bonds if the US economy improves. A relatively ...
THE CONTENDER
Cambodia is emerging as a key investment destination—and potential consumer market—for companies focused on Southeast Asia. After more than a decade of 6%-plus growth—with just one hiccup during the global crisis in 2009—this nation of 15 million people has begun attracting serious interest.
UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES By Udayan Gupta The world’s central banks are on a desperate mission to stave off deflation. But even if their short-term fixes work, the long-term outcomes may have unplanned results. Central banks are in an ...
WAITING FOR THE RENAISSANCE By Gordon Platt Egypt’s elections promised much in terms of building a modern and democratic state. But the realities of governing for the Muslim Brotherhood are proving more difficult than initially thought—and some economic ...
CORPORATE FINANCING NEWS: MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS By Gordon Platt Technology deals—ranging from telecommunications to biotechnology and oilfield equipment—have kept the US mergers and acquisitions arena active of late. German real estate and Asian consumer markets have also attracted ...