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Banking

Special Report: Islamic Finance In Asia

MALAYSIAN DOMINANCE PUT TO THE TEST By Anita Hawser Long the leading force in Asia-Pacific’s Islamic finance industry, Malaysia is facing growing regional competition. Anyone that does business or invests in Asia-Pacific will tell you that, as ...

Emerging & Frontier Markets

Africa: Ethanol May Trigger Food Fight

EMERGING MARKETS ROUNDUP: AFRICA by Antonio Guerrero Sierra Leone opts for controversial biofuel production Africa is poised to enter the world’s growing biofuels market. The biotechnology unit at Addax, a Switzerland-based investment firm, plans to open a ...

Emerging & Frontier Markets

Brazil: Admin Supports Corporate Growth

EMERGING MARKETS ROUNDUP: BRAZIL by Antonio Guerrero Brazilian companies take flight Board members at Petrobras, the Brazilian state oil company, are calling on the company to tame costs linked to its $224 billion 2011-2015 spending plan. The investment ...

Emerging & Frontier Markets

China: Floods Drive Prices Higher

EMERGING MARKETS ROUNDUP: CHINA by Thomas Clouse Floods devastate crops Inflation in China accelerated in May to its most rapid rate in 34 months. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the consumer price index rose 5.5% ...

Capital Raising & Corporate Finance

Debt: Rapid Pace Of High-Yield Issuance

CORPORATE FINANCING NEWS / CORPORATE DEBT by Gordon Platt The high-yield bond market felt the spillover effects in early June from a steep decline in prices of bonds backed by subprime mortgages, but US-based companies continue to tap ...

Emerging & Frontier Markets

DR News: The Russians Are Coming, Eventually, To London

EMERGING MARKETS INVESTOR / DR NEWS by Gordon Platt Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, plans to list global depositary receipts (GDRs) in London and Frankfurt soon, with BNY Mellon as the depository. The listings could make Sberbank one of ...

Capital Raising & Corporate Finance

DRs: Disclosures Hurt Chinese Firms

CORPORATE FINANCING NEWS — GLOBAL EQUITY/DRS by Gordon Platt The froth in the market for initial public offerings of China-based companies listing on major stock markets around the world has been blown away by renewed concern about accounting ...

Emerging & Frontier Markets

EM News: Political Unrest Threatens To Harm EM Portfolios

EMERGING MARKETS INVESTOR / NEWS by Gordon Platt Further political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa is highly likely and could have a major negative impact on investors’ portfolios, according to a BNY Mellon white paper ...

Capital Raising & Corporate Finance

FX: Greek Contagion Risk On Euro

CORPORATE FINANCING NEWS / FOREIGN EXCHANGE by Gordon Platt The euro tumbled against the dollar, the yen and the Swiss...

Banking

GCC: Banks Remain Reluctant To Lend

GCC REGIONAL REPORT: BACK FROM THE BRINK By Gordon Platt Upheaval in the region and beyond is encouraging banks to bolster their balance sheets before launching any aggressive lending programs. Banks in the GCC have recovered from the ...

Banking

GCC: Big Changes Loom

GCC REGIONAL REPORT: MARKING A MILESTONE By Gordon Platt The regional group faces new challenges as it celebrates its 30th anniversary. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) celebrated its 30th anniversary on May 25 with quiet flag-raising ceremonies ...

Banking

GCC: High Oil Prices Support Government Spending Rise

GCC REGIONAL REPORT: OIL MARKETS By Gordon Platt Global politics, supply dynamics and the fiscal needs of the GCC’s governments are combining to cloud the prospects for oil prices . Oil prices have been volatile in recent ...