By Casey Hoerth: The news that Kinder-Morgan would be merged into one big, corporate entity has gotten a mixed reaction among retail investors here on Seeking Alpha. Of course, many are rightfully pleased about the run-up in share price: Since the announcement of the merger both Kinder Morgan Partners (NYSE:KMP) and Kinder Morgan Inc. (NYSE:KMI) have seen shares leap up by some 20%. The benefits of Kinder […]
By Bret Jensen: I have made quite a bit of money over the past 12-18 months trading in and out of high yielding upstream energy partnership Linn Energy (NASDAQ:LINE). This was especially true after a couple of negative articles in Barron’s last year alleging “accounting irregularities” knocked the stock down to the low $20s. This held up a pending merger with Berry Petroleum that was eventually blessed […]
DP World Jebel Ali, UAE. DP World After posting a decent set of numbers in the first half, a company can be excused if it sounds optimistic about its growth outlook. In DP World’s case – the numbers are more than decent. The Dubai-based ports operator, one of the largest globally, reported a solid 26% jump in six-month earnings as it added new capacity amid a pick […]
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is yet to finish his first 100 days in office, but India Inc CEOs are convinced an economic revival is around the corner. A huge majority of 50 CEOs ET polled in the run-up to this special edition are preparing to make fresh investments and are also stepping up hiring, all in anticipation of 6-8% GDP growth most feel is possible over […]
UAE. With its oil wealth, population growth and strong demand for all manner of industrial and consumer goods, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is an attractive market for many manufacturers. There are, however, potential pitfalls in doing business in the region, particularly when it comes to appointing local agents to distribute products in the region. Many states in the MENA region have enacted commercial […]
MUMBAI: Deposit growth at Indian banks has picked up pace after remaining subdued for two consecutive months. Latest data from the RBI show that bank deposits rose close to 14% yearon-year in the fortnight to August 8 as investments in mutual fund products flowed to term deposits. A strong deposit growth may encourage banks to lower deposit rates and may, subsequently, lead to lower lending rates, too. […]
Small- and medium-sized enterprises, in particular in a growth market like the United Arab Emirates, have traditionally had a tougher time securing loans from banks who perceive them as less transparent and therefore as more risky and costly to do business with. Nevertheless, as this category of companies constitutes a large chunk of the U.A.E. economy, interest from both local and international lenders has been on the […]
A man walks on Jumeirah beach as the Burj Al Arab hotel is seen during sunset in Dubai. Reuters Dubai’s hotels experienced a bumper first half even as refurbishment at the emirate’s main airport grounded Emirates Airline jets and limited the number of passengers flying. Hotels in the desert-city, which has become known for its extravagant infrastructure, architecture and opulent places to stay, catered to 5.8 million […]
QATAR. International food prices have been declining in recent months, reflecting record harvests and weak global demand. Declining food prices have in turn contributed to lower inflation in the Eurozone, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US). This trend, coupled with a weak Eurozone recovery and mixed economic data in the US, suggests that the risk of global deflation remains high. As such, we expect […]
By Chris Katje: Under Armour (NYSE:UA) has been in the news a lot during the month of August. The sports apparel retailer launched a large global campaign aimed at women and also has its eyes set on its largest marketing deal ever. A targeted approach at women and the possible signing of NBA superstar Kevin Durant will have a huge impact on short and long term growth […]
By Bob Ciura: Tobacco stocks like Altria Group (NYSE:MO) are well-known and extremely well-regarded for their income potential. Altria has been one of the premier dividend stocks to own over the past several decades. It has a remarkable ability to pay a high yield, and also provide regular dividend increases that have significantly increased shareholder wealth over this time. To that end, Altria very recently increased its […]
By WestEnd511: Gap’s (NYSE:GPS) headline Q2 EPS of $0.74 beat consensus $0.69 mainly due to disciplined cost control. Revenue of $3.98b (+3% y/y) was in line with consensus and driven by strength in Old Navy where comps was +4%. Inventory management was encouraging as total inventory was up 6% y/y vs. 3% sales growth, the smallest gap since end of 2012. Inventory growth should be on par […]
By S. Sethuraman As fiscal 2015 nears the mid-year, hope revives stronger for at least 5.5 per cent growth, despite a wayward monsoon, and should it materialize, the Modi Government could well trumpet that it had overcome the UPA baggage of “economic mess” and below 5 per cent growth over the last two years. But even growth in the 5-6 per cent range, based on […]
If you wanted to make a quick buck in property, Dubai would have been the place to do it in the last couple of years. And the desert of superlatives is still going strong despite a partial slowdown. According to CBRE Group , apartment prices increased by a more modest 3.2 percent in the second quarter of 2014, bringing gains over the last year to 21 percent. […]
By Surojit Mahalanobis India’s search for quality power seems destined to be stunted. The power ministry and public sector units are all gaga about thermal power capacity addition year-on-year to the current figure of 53,000 MW. Of this, NTPC’s contribution to capacity is 44,128 MW including the latest dedication of Mouda Super Thermal power project Stage I for 1,000 MW capacity. With Lanco Infratech’s plant […]
People walk near The Gate building at the financial and business district Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) in Dubai. Reuters Dubai’s financial hub is growing up. Since it was established a decade ago, the Dubai International Financial Centre has become the number one choice in the Middle East for many of the world’s leading banks, law firms, asset managers and insurers from where to conduct their regional […]
Op-Ed Contributor By MICHAEL SINGH August 19, 2014 WASHINGTON — President Obama surprised many recently when he diagnosed the crisis gripping Iraq as partly an economic one, noting that Iraqi Sunnis were “detached from the global economy” and thus frustrated in achieving their aspirations. While Iraq’s chaos has many sources, the president is nevertheless on to something; and it’s not just Iraqi Sunnis, but the entire Middle East that […]
Dubai is changing its financial rules in an effort to attract more asset managers – particularly those serving the richest and most risk-tolerant investors, such as hedge funds and private equity funds – to base themselves in the emirate. The rules create a new class of funds that can be domiciled in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), facing less stringent regulation and thus lower costs than […]
London home sellers cut asking prices by the most in more than six years this month, adding to signs that the property market in the U.K. capital is coming off the boil. London values fell 5.9 percent from the previous month to an average 552,783 pounds ($922,300), the biggest drop since December 2007, property website Rightmove Plc said today. Nationally, prices declined 2.9 percent, a record for […]
LONDON, August 15 (Fitch) Fitch Ratings has affirmed Abu Dhabi’s Long-term foreign and local currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDR) at ‘AA’. The Outlooks are Stable. The issue ratings on Abu Dhabi’s senior unsecured foreign and local currency bonds have also been affirmed at ‘AA’. The Short-term foreign currency IDR has been affirmed at ‘F1+’. The UAE Country Ceiling has been affirmed at ‘AA+’; this Ceiling also applies […]
A computer generated image shows the stadium to be built in Al-Khor for Qatar’s 2022 World Cup. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images It hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for Qatar since it started preparations to host the World Cup football in 2022. Ever since the wealthy Gulf state won the rights to host the tournament in 2010, it has been the subject of bribery allegations while at the same […]
Shares of Abu Dhabi National Energy Co. (TAQA), which took an impairment of $858 million in North America last year, climbed the most in three weeks after it returned to profit in the second-quarter and said it plans to sell assets. The state-controlled utility, also known as Taqa, reported a second-quarter attributable profit of 239 million dirhams ($65 million), rebounding from a loss of 172 million a […]
Sanctions on Russia over the crisis with Ukraine are leading banks to call for the development of Islamic finance as they seek alternatives to European and U.S. pools of funding. The expansion of the Shariah-compliant industry would let the country attract fresh capital from the Middle East and Asia, the Association of Russian Banks said this week in response to an inquiry from the state bank. The […]
The chemical triclosan has been linked to cancer-cell growth and disrupted development in animals. Regulators are reviewing whether it’s safe to put in soap, cutting boards and toys. Consumer companies are phasing it out. Minnesota voted in May to ban it in many products. At the same time, millions of Americans are putting it in their mouths every day, by way of a top-selling toothpaste that uses […]
