Search results for

Politicians in the US and Japan are blaming the low value of the Chinese renminbi for all manner of economic ills in their countries and pressing for its revaluation upwards. Yet many of their own manufacturers are benefiting greatly from the low manufacturing costs in China. Speculators will win if the renminbi rises.

In the July issue of Euromoney, an editing error led us to state incorrectly that Alfa Bank is a subsidiary of Austrian firm RZB. It is not. We would like to make it clear that Alfa Bank is Russian-owned and not a subsidiary of any foreign firm.

The start of the political season in Russia has capped the wild upswing in the country's equity market but not brought share prices crashing to the ground. Predictions of quiet growth based on a growing equity culture still seem apt.

There can be a hefty difference between perception and reality on debt markets pay these days. One headhunter recalls: "A senior banker called me when I was on a ski lift at Christmas. He said he was going to get only $1 million in the current bonus cycle. He wanted to know whether he had been hard done by as he thought he was worth $2 million. I got a researcher to check what someone in his position and with his job title would usually earn right now. I called him back and said 'you're worth $600,000, so you're doing well'."

Dubai's momentum is much talked about. Even in the underwater-themed tranquillity of the Al Mahara restaurant of Dubai's seven-star Burj Al Arab hotel you can't escape it. In fact the sharks swimming next to your gin and tonic and the delightful scoop of yoghurt, coriander and mint sorbet only reinforce the impression of prosperity and dynamism that the city exudes.

When Banco Comercial Português paid just over $3 million to buy a bankrupt bank from the Turkish government two years ago, it was snapping up probably its biggest bargain ever without knowing it.

Although logistics suggest that regional companies should play a major part in reconstructing Iraq, hopes of big gains have had to be scaled down. In some areas, such as telecoms, the odds look to have been stacked against Arab firms.

The transport system now rivals the weather as a topic of conversation among disgruntled Britons. So there was considerable interest in investor appetite when National Air Traffic Services (Nats), which runs air traffic control services in UK airspace, followed another transport-sector debutant, Network Rail, which maintains the UK rail infrastructure, to the bond markets this summer.

Emerging markets are back. That's the conclusion of the latest quarterly debt survey by Emta, formerly the Emerging Markets Traders Association. In the second quarter of 2003, total emerging-market debt trading passed $1 trillion for the first time in five years.

Saudi Arabia's insurance industry will be competitive, properly controlled and fully accountable for the first time following the recent approval of a new insurance law. Modernization is expected to benefit not only those buying insurance but also to have a positive impact through the whole economy.