July 2005 Archives

By John Hagel and John Seely Brown -

Innovation is not a birthright -- it requires continuous effort to renew and reinvigorate, something startups in China and India understand

Last year, we were sitting across from a prominent Indian business executive in one of Bangalore's leading software companies. In the middle of the conversation, his body tensed and, looking intently at us, he said forcefully: "You know, we were blocked from participating in the global economy for almost 50 years. We need to catch up."

By Steve Lohr -

WILLIAM A. REINSCH, an avowed free trader, welcomes China's rising stature in the international economy. After all, he is the president of the National Foreign Trade Council, an organization founded in 1914 to promote an "open world trading system." Indeed, when he was a senior trade official in the Clinton administration, Mr. Reinsch was chided by some security analysts who said he was being soft on China by placing matters of commerce ahead of national security.

Media reporting of an EU tax directive, effective from July 1, suggests the European tax havens of Monaco and Andorra could be under threat. Tribune Properties contend that the real incentive for people moving to Monaco and Andorra remains intact – no income and inheritance taxes.

(PRWEB) July 27, 2005 -- Media reporting of a new E.U. savings tax directive has left many people wondering whether European tax havens could soon become obsolete.

By Dr. Khaled Batarfi - kbatarfi@al-madina.com -

“You don’t know how it feels to be a foreigner in this country, unless you live like one. It is unbearable!” said my Arab scuba diving trainer. I was shocked and since then, I have become more sensitive and observant. Sad to say, he was right. I tell you why.

Before the oil boom of the late ’70s, we lived more like a normal society. We had our rich, middle class and poor, Saudis and non-Saudis, educated and less educated. Mostly, we lived in harmony.

LISTED property trusts are to investment what Lance Armstrong is to cycling.

Everyone loves a winner and over the past six years other asset classes have been struggling to stay the distance with listed property trusts.

Australian shares may have won the sprint for the best returns for the year ended June 30 but when you look at three or five-year numbers the listed property trust sector climbed ahead by providing investors with the elusive double capital growth and rising income distributions.

By Lynn Bolin -

Cape Town - South African investors should put some of their savings in offshore markets in order to take advantage of the opportunities not available in South Africa, as well as for diversification and risk reasons, it emerged at Stanlib's 2nd International Investment Conference in Cape Town on Monday.

This was particularly true now, when the rand appeared to have reached its peak value against most benchmark currencies.

by Max Boot -

Maj. Gen. Zhu Chenghu of the Chinese People's Liberation Army caused quite a stir last week when he threatened to nuke "hundreds" of American cities if the U.S. dared to interfere with a Chinese attempt to conquer Taiwan.

This saber-rattling comes while China is building a lot of sabers. Although its defense budget, estimated to be as much as $90 billion, remains a fraction of the United States', it is enough to make China the world's third-biggest weapons buyer (behind Russia) and the biggest in Asia.

Credit Suisse Asset Management (CSAM) is to launch a limited issue fund of funds that invests in new launches, offshore vehicles and unregulated funds.

As a limited issue portfolio the fund launches at the end of July with 75 million units. It can potentially charge more in management fees than the 4% initial and 1.5% annual levied on the firm's other multi-manager offerings. However, it is not intending to incorporate a performance fee structure.

By Osama Habib -

BEIRUT: With a population of little more than 850,000 and oil and gas money pouring in, the tiny state of Qatar is oozing with confidence about the future. And like it's larger Gulf neighbors, Qatar is busily attempting to use its petrodollars to diversify into tourism and financial services. Leaving aside the question of whether the entire Gulf can support all these holiday resorts and banks, Qatar's efforts to reform itself are worthy of examination.

By Dan Culloton -

StreetTracks Gold Shares (GLD) , the first exchange-traded fund tracking a commodity, was one of the most successful ETF launches in history. Within weeks of its November 2004 launch it amassed more than $1.5 billion in assets. Is it any wonder that other financial firms are scrambling to introduce their own commodity ETFs?

In fact, ETF purveyors are much like traditional mutual fund companies in that they aren't above launching new funds in asset classes that have enjoyed strong recent performance and have gotten a lot of attention.

Regulatory changes are set to spur Singapore-listed real estate investment trusts to acquire overseas properties even as asset prices in the city state rise.

Singapore, which has surpassed its traditional rival Hong Kong in developing listed property trusts as popular investment vehicles, is looking to change the rules to make it easier for REITs to add foreign assets to their portfolios.