APRIL 2009

A bane unto ourselves

Dubai abandons reality
Economic crisis leaves the country in collapse

Short of a sure bite to eat
Arabs across the region are facing food crises

Madoff’s unanswered billions
Wall Street icon must reveal where money is hidden

The linchpin of peace
Lebanon can have a key role in resolving Israeli-Palestinian issue

Swapping bullets for ballots
Voting in Iraq can help build the state

Big swing with a small ball
Gulf states throwing money into events

Should investors enter the dragon or greet the elephant?
Looking at China and India’s economic potentials

The bankers’ duel for deposits
Gulf banks hit hard by financial crisis

The future is online
Media companies need to make transition to internet

Securing your ship in an economic storm
Tips to survive the downturn in the Middle East

Fighting for talent
Successful individuals have power over companies

Digital advertises our tomorrow
The future of communication is here

Park sales to pump service
As new car purchases drop, dealers chase the after-sale market

Much tilling without harvest
With domestic farming failing, GCC ever-more reliant on imports to eat

Quick & lean
Building better businesses

Private equity – The party is over
Private equity is no longer the place to be

Private equity – Fat times thin quick
Private equity firms long horizons find few takers during crisis

Private equity – The new playing field
The financial crisis has changed the game for regional investment

Private equity – Bigger, fewer, more focused
Consolidation and specialization on the cards for investment firms

Private equity - Stacks of dry powder
Cash committed yet not leaving the pocket

Private equity – Where to scare up the cash
As pickings slim, the hunt for investment capital intensifies

Cityscape 2009
The biggest development show in town still gives realty reason for hope

Tanking up with tax
Government pumps gas tariffs into debt-laden coffers

Abu Dhabi – A sure and steady rise
UAE capital’s more tempered pace in realty development pays dividends

Oman – Docking infrastructure
Sultanate floats the foundations for a modern state

Q&A: Louis Hakim
Philips see a green future for the UAE

Syria – Freeing the market’s bonds
New stock exchange is another step towards a liberalized economy

Tanking up with tax
Government pumps gas tariffs into debt-laden coffers

Fields of fallow
Agriculture’s potential harvest left to rot

A tribunal’s legal tender
Hariri trial projected to cost more than $190 million

Thy neighbor’s trade
Cross-border commerce a product of history and geography

Carrying capacity
Ankara’s ambition as a cargo hub

Private accounts on hold
State-owned banks put the freeze on selling stakes to free market

Clashing cells
Telecom competition expands

Qatar – A pearl of prudence
Banks limiting liabilities and focusing on profitability in home market

Standard Chartered Bank, Qatar – Tom Aaker (Q&A)
Interview with the bank's CEO of Qatar & North Africa

UAE – Dubai bails
Emirate’s $20 billion ‘stimulus package’

Standard Chartered Bank, Lebanon – Pik Yee Foong (Q&A)
One-on-one with the bank's CEO in Beirut

Islamic banking – Sharia by the books
Stability of sharia-compliant institutions draws even non-Muslims

IPO Watch – Spring investments
Cold first quarter sees prospects budding in second

Money Matters by BLOMINVEST Bank

Company bulletin

Regional equity markets
A look at Arab World indices for February

Ethics – The need for greed
Mandated morality antithetical to functional capitalism