Search results for

Japanese equities are at the start of a sustained bull market that in the next two years will take the Nikkei well above 20,000 from its current 14,000 level.

According to a new compensation survey by executive search and consulting firm Options Group, M&A bankers will enjoy the biggest increase in overall compensation (salary and bonuses) in 2005, up 20% to 25% on average compared with 2004. Those M&A bankers in Europe are set to get the biggest increases.

America might still run the internet, but even the biggest bank in the world has to take its time when it comes to cyber-squatting.

Originally established under the white minority regime to compulsorily house non-white labour outside the cities, South Africa’s townships are now obvious targets for a nascent low-income housing finance market.

Markit has launched its independent pricing service for European asset-backed securities (ABS). It seeks to cast some light on the rather opaque ABS secondary market. About 3,500 European ABS will be covered with pricing provided by the leading market makers in Europe. All the major asset classes are covered, including RMBS, CMBS, ABS and cash CDOs. Dealers will provide mark-to-market data to Markit, which it will validate before dissemination.

But Singh’s government must hold steady on the road to reform.

Euromoney’s 10th Asian company ranking is based on a survey of market analysts at leading banks and research institutes in Asia. We received replies from 67 institutions. Respondents were asked to nominate the top three companies in each of the countries or sectors they covered, bearing in mind market strength, profitability, growth potential and quality of management and earnings. Points were awarded on the scale of 4:3:2.

The wounds from the region’s financial crisis may have healed on company balance sheets but the trauma remains

Trichet’s statements have profound implications for some EU member states

The near-term outlook for the Shanghai and Shenzhen equity markets is certainly not helped by the fact that the best and brightest corporate issuers usually chose to head west and list directly in Hong Kong or New York. Davin Mackenzie, managing director of Peak Capital, a Beijing-based private-equity firm, says the best investment prospects in China – if they can be identified – have the same characteristics: transparent accounts that show a record of compliance with tax laws, constant improvements in their core businesses rather than over-diversifying, and management teams that include senior executives who have been educated abroad and spent significant time there. “These types of good investment targets are often already listed overseas, allowing them to ‘step outside of the inherent restraints of doing business in China,’” says Mackenzie.

Balkans – Equest Balkan Properties plans to list its shares on AIM, giving investors the opportunity to buy into property markets in south-eastern Europe. The fund will focus mainly on retail, office and industrial assets in Bulgaria and Romania. It will also look at assets in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the FYR of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro and Turkey. The company expects a target yield of 7.5% once the proceeds of the placing are fully invested, rising to 10% over time.

Can wealth management truly thrive within the confines of an investment bank?