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After the favourable economic climate of 1997 when the Netherlands took the lead in the economic upturn in continental Europe, preliminary data for 1998 shows that the international situation is taking its toll and Dutch economic growth is returning to trend. What has happened and has the "Dutch miracle" come to an end?

It was before the wave of strikes that hit France in December that I glided into the Gare du Nord on one of France's ultra-smooth, ultra-expensive (to the taxpayer, not the traveller) TGVs. I had two questions begging answers. First, would the Franco-German axis in Europe hold? And second, would France meet the Maastricht criteria for a European single currency by the end of 1997?

Allianz has a 100-year history of managing insurance assets. Internationalization of capital markets, fierce competition in asset management and the arrival of the euro have prompted the company to set up a third-party investment firm. Is Allianz Asset Management ready for the challenge ahead?

The end of Jardine Fleming

Romania will default on its foreign debt without assistance from the IMF and World Bank. This is unlikely to be forthcoming unless a politically induced log jam on economic restructuring and privatization is overcome. At last the government has recognized the crisis. Rebecca Bream reports.

Chicago Exchanges: Working against the grain

When Frank Quattrone left Morgan Stanley in 1996, nearly everyone thought Morgan's technology franchise would go with him. But the Wall Street firm's edge in California wasn't blunted. Quattrone's magic has now faded, and all competitors bar one seem to be floundering. Michelle Celarier reports

Ulrich Gygi is the driving force behind Swiss privatization. He was the chief architect of the Swisscom offering, Europe's biggest initial public offering (IPO) last year, which succeeded when most other deals were being pulled. As head of the Swiss treasury, where he's spent most of his career, Gygi has also had the task of deciding how much gold the central bank can afford to give away to good causes in the aftermath of the Nazi gold controversy. He is thought to have designs on the top job at the central bank.

Citicorp's chairman, John Reed, is now 59. Though he looks likely to remain in place while the merger with Travelers Group is work in progress it won't be too long before his succession is again debated. When it is, one name certain to figure prominently is Victor Menezes, who with Michael Carpenter now has the job of knitting together the corporate banking businesses of Citicorp and Travelers' Salomon Smith Barney.

At the end of December a select group of Euromarket veterans gathered under the shadow of Credit Suisse First Boston's tower at Canary Wharf. There were there to watch Bank of England governor Eddie George unveil a monument to perhaps their most outstanding colleague. Michael von Clemm, former chairman of CSFB and Merrill Lynch Capital Markets died on November 6, 1997 at the age of 62.

In a period of mega bank mergers, how can smaller players compete? Through unparalleled regional expertise, say Austria's three leading financial institutions. They are carving out a niche as the experts in eastern Europe. Market downturns haven't put them off this approach. Each has a distinct strategy for expansion. But can they live with the big boys? Marcus Walker reports.

To open a bank at any time is brave, especially in Russia. To have started trading in 1993 aged 23 while still at university, takes something special. Andrey Melnichenko studied physics at Moscow State University before starting up his own bank with four friends.