But reforming labour markets, one obvious way to help narrow the gap with other emerging economies, will not be easy given the political clout of a union movement that was instrumental in bringing an end to white-minority rule in the 1990s. “You need a much more flexible labour force but the unions are still very…
Asia’s largest sovereign issuer of offshore bonds may post its second successive record budget deficit this year, and the key factor that will determine how markets react to the election result will be whether the winning candidate tackles the fiscal situation with sufficient urgency and resolve. Most analysts say markets should not be too ruffled…
A 44-week streak of inflows to funds investing in emerging and frontier equities in Africa has ended while inflows to South Africa have risen, fund tracker EPFR Global said. EPFR Global had recorded net inflows of over $480m to African regional funds in the first half of the year, an indication of investor appetite for…
The South American nation, which saw exports rise 25 percent year-on-year in May, responded to the global financial crisis by limiting imports of shoes, fresh fruit and other goods that it also produces. The curbs, designed to protect jobs and boost local production, range from administrative delays at borders and in customs to anti-dumping penalties…
Moody’s has downgraded Ireland’s sovereign bond rating by one notch to Aa2, citing weaker growth prospects and the high costs of rebuilding the country’s crisis-hit banking system. The rating agency, which cut Ireland from Aa1, said the outlook was stable. The move, which put Moody’s on par with rival agency Standard and Poor’s AA rating…
If you’re a real estate investor, you’re probably familiar with the routine: you walk into a bank to borrow money, and the loan officer takes one look at your credit history and either saying “Sure, we can do the loan, you’ll need to put down five (or ten) percent,” or “Well, we might be able…
Agricultural Bank of China’s $19.3bn IPO crossed the finish line on July 16 after a hectic three-month sprint, notching up modest gains in its Hong Kong debut amid concerns about valuations and glut of bank share sales. Industrial & Commercial Bank of China and Bank of China both soared 15 percent on their Hong Kong…
The tarnished Alan GreenspanArchitect of the now much-derided “Greenspan put”, he protected the US economy from the collapse of the dotcom stock market bubble by dropping official interest rates. However that action is also seen as fuelling the risk-taking that preceded the most severe financial meltdown in 75 years. The global Jeffrey WilliamsonAn authority on…
Russia and Germany have pledged to strengthen economic ties as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called Europe’s largest economy Moscow’s “key partner” for the future. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said relations between the two states had taken a stride forward as she led a delegation of business leaders on a tour of Russia, China and Kazakhstan….
It is every manufacturer’s worst nightmare – the product that the company has spent millions developing, producing, marketing and shipping all around the world may have a fault. There is a risk that some of the products – maybe a few, perhaps many – could be harmful. The company faces a stark choice: voluntarily pull…
