Global Investing

SOUTH AFRICA EASES RULES ON FOREIGN OWNERSHIP   By Antonio Guerrero   South Africa’s National Treasury is studying a plan to allow offshore companies traded on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), known as inward-listed companies, to be regarded as domestic ...

MILESTONES: SINGAPORE / INDONESIA   By Gordon Platt   After portfolio managers removed tens of billions of dollars from Asian equity markets during the sell-off in early autumn, corporate valuations are now highly attractive in some industries and sectors.   Photo ...

ANNUAL SURVEY AND AWARDS   By Michael Shari   Counterparty risk trumps pricing as criteria for picking derivative providers. Wall Street is retaking market share from European rivals   Never underestimate the sleight of hand with which the fast-paced derivatives ...

EMERGING MARKETS INVESTOR: DR NEWS   By Gordon Platt   The market for new sponsored depositary receipt programs for companies in emerging markets has dried up since the equity market turmoil in August, but there has continued to be a steady ...

POLITICAL STALEMATE CRIPPLES BOTH US AND EUROPE   By Vanessa Drucker   In the first of a new ongoing series, Global Finance sits down with Jason Trennert, managing partner and chief investment strategist at Strategas Research Partners.   Trennert, Strategas ...

NEW HORIZONS   By Anita Hawser   Islamic Finance is growing beyond traditional borders to encompass new markets worldwide.   The Islamic finance industry emerged relatively unscathed from the 2008 financial crisis —touting itself as an alternative to the leverage ...

AWAITING CLARITY   Moderated by Joseph D. Giarraputo   Leading figures in the world of custody and investors’ services discuss how they are helping clients cope with new regulations and take advantage of the opportunities this presents.   Joseph D. ...

NEWSMAKERS: UNITED STATES   By Gordon Platt   Billionaire investor Warren Buffett was soaking in the tub when he came up with the idea of investing $5 billion in Bank of America.   Buffett banks on domestic investments The Berkshire Hathaway ...

TECHNOLOGY— SIBOS 2011   By Anita Hawser   Banks are facing growing competition from technologically advanced nonbanks as customers seek more convenience and higher service levels.   Imagine a world where money is no longer thought of as something physical ...

SIBOS 2011— TRADE FINANCE   By Denise Bedell   Trade finance is in the midst of wrenching changes, and banks must keep pace with them or face loss of market share and a deterioration of their client base.   The ...

SIBOS 2011   Change is in the air at this year’s annual Sibos conference in Toronto. Hosted by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), the conference provides a forum for the world’s biggest corporate and investment banks to ...

SIBOS 2011— REGULATION   By Denise Bedell   Companies—and their banks—are increasingly mindful of how regulatory changes, such as the introduction of Basel III, will affect their corporate banking activities and the cost of banking services.   Wholesale banking activities—in ...

NEWSMAKERS: GLOBAL   By Anita Hawser   Ligteringen: “Measure what you need to manage” “We are urging all companies to look systematically at their environmental,social and economic results,” says Ernst Ligteringen, CEO of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), which provides ...

COVER STORY: THE NEW RISKS   By Laurence Neville   Last year the global economy dodged some scary-looking bullets. This year it might not be so lucky.   As volatile and unnerving as it was, 2010 provided a welcome respite ...

FOCUS: COMMODITY RISK   By Michael Shari   Renewed turmoil in Europe, supply shortages and the growing impact of financial investors are driving renewed demand for commodities hedging.   For most of 2010, producers and consumers of many commodities had ...

WINNERS: EXCHANGES   Achievement Award ICE Long before derivatives reform was on the regulatory agenda, the Intercontinental Exchange in Atlanta was well on the way to achieving what regulators hope to accomplish with new rules—an unprecedented level of transparency in ...

United Kingdom   By Anita Hawser   Jenkins: London faces threat from multiple emerging market centers As economic power increasingly shifts toward the East and regulators in the West look to rein in the growth of their financial sectors, senior ...

NEWSMAKERS: GLOBAL By Michael Shari   As finance ministers and top executives of the world's largest banks converge in Washington for the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank this month, a simmering diplomatic conflict between ...

GLOBAL MARKET BRACE FOR THE AFTERSHOCK   Many countries still have a long way to go to convince investors that they are not likely to suffer a sovereign default.   By Laurence Neville   Just as the mood was lifting ...

United Kingdom/Hong Kong   By Jonathan Gregson   Bolton: China is in an investment “sweet spot” Not so very long ago, City of London folk looked down their noses at those bankers, entrepreneurs and businessmen who sought their fortunes in ...