Global Investing

Led by the Asia-Pacific region, global proceeds from initial public offerings totaled more than $34 billion in the first quarter of 2014, an increase of 77% from the same period a year earlier, according to Renaissance Capital

Myanmar’s chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is expected to boost the country’s diplomatic and economic prospects.

Mergers and acquisitions involving Russian companies, including Morgan Stanley’s planned sale of its global oil-trading unit to Rosneft, are threatened by Western sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine crisis.

Only two weeks ahead of the April 9 parliamentary elections and under pressure from a billion-dollar lawsuit, the Indonesian government announced it would terminate some 67 bilateral investment treaties—which regulate investment in the country by foreigners—as they come up for renewal.

Recent economic reforms in Mexico and upgrades by rating agencies have strengthened Mexico’s position in global markets. The country’s economic performance is improving as well.

Sri Lanka has an open business environment, but challenges—not least its recovery from the civil war that ended in 2009—remain.

Corporate credit-rating upgrades in the first quarter of 2014 outnumbered downgrades in Europe, the Middle East and Africa for the first time since 2008, according to Moody’s Investors Service. The rating agency says positive credit trends in the EMEA region are likely to continue through 2014, despite potential negative events in Russia and Ukraine.

Leila Heckman, head of international equities at Lebenthal Asset Management, joined us for our monthly Salon to discuss the increased acceptance of global diversification among portfolio managers and the reasons behind her approach to investing.

Despite a pause in February, when the number of share purchase authorizations declined by 32% over the same period a year ago, share buybacks are still very popular on Wall Street.

Inflation in the eurozone slipped to 0.5% at an annual rate in March, its lowest level since 2009. The persistence of low inflation prompted policymakers to discuss quantitative easing (QE) and a negative deposit rate, putting some downward pressure on the euro.

With good demographics and potential opportunities for FDI in a range of sectors, Iran is poised to make the most of further relaxing of economic sanctions.

“While overall levels of investment have remained stable, there have been dramatic changes in how investment is distributed between regions and countries around the world, as companies seek to adapt their corporate footprints to new opportunities and operational risks emerging ...

Inter-Asian trade will lead the agenda items at this year’s annual Asian Development Bank meeting, to be held May 2-5, 2014, in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Iceland’s Reykjavik Geothermal will launch a $2 billion project in July to build a power plant on an imploded volcano in Ethiopia’s Rift Valley. The plant, slated to begin operations by 2020, will have a generation capacity of 500 megawatts of electricity.

Malaysia’s strong current account and FX reserves will safeguard it against external shocks, but high leverage and simmering ethnic tensions remain weak points.

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MIDDLE EAST 2014 SUPPLEMENT By Gordon Platt Dubai has rolled over its debt and keeps on spending in preparation for World Expo 2020. And this time, it says, there will be no property bubble. Dubai welcomed the New Year with ...

NEWSMAKERS By K.A. Badarinath Indian law enforcement agencies finally caught up with Subrata Roy, the Indian multibillionaire and corporate baron accused of making off with about $3.9 billion in investor money, and put him behind bars, following a directive of ...

Mozambique’s future rests on monetizing reserves of coal, natural gas, titanium and other minerals.

MIDDLE EAST 2014 SUPPLEMENT By Gilly Wright The Arab Spring dissuaded many companies from investing in the Middle East-North Africa region, but foreign investment is now returning on the back of a wide array of major planned infrastructure projects. Ongoing ...