DECEMBER 2009

Some rise, some set

Triggers on safety
The mad logic of Dahieh

Lebanon’s elephant in the corner
Lebanon’s debt can’t be ignored

The bubble’s jagged edge
Journalists grin and bear it

North Africa’s offside
Soccer riots go political

New Turks with “Zero Problems”
Ankara extends both hands

No honest broker in sight
Can Kabul kick corruption?

Jordan’s journeymen
Organizing the informal sector

Our daily bread
Lebanon, Lebanon making dough, but can’t catch up to what she owes

Expat largesse
Remittances (probably) stable, despite global downturn

Adjusting the Lebanese socio-economic debate: It is about growth, not debt
It’s time to acknowledge the good as well as the bad

Awaiting the thaw
Public stock offerings on ice until 2010 revival

MENA markets overview
A report on regional stock exchanges for 2009

The sum that never sets
Conservative banking provides upward economic momentum

Our cup runneth over
Depositors’ return to the lira weighs down interest rates

Lending an ear
The stewards of Lebanon’s banking sector weigh in

Lebanese banking sector takes stock of its priorities
Looking forward to 2010, banks take stock of prioritie

Riad Salameh (Q&A)
An inside scoop from the commander-in-chief of Lebanese banking

The forgotten industry
For insurers, business is a sluggish, uphill struggle

A word of caution
Lebanon needs more comprehensive coverage, say industry leaders

Industry slips a gear
Factories struggle to keep assembly lines moving

In need of a tune-up
Energy, transportation and tariffs bog down Lebanon’s manufacturing sector

Grinding out a profit
Industry leaders advise on staying afloat in a faltering sector

Stalled in the sky
Lebanon’s soaring real estate sector comes back into orbit

Beirut’s towers top-out
Rocketing real estate prices level with drop in demand

Like a house on fire
Property is selling like hotcakes. Executive brings you the bakers.

Politics vs privatization
Telecom sector perpetually on hold

Election injection
Massive political spending props up an ailing year for advertisers

Writing in the sky
Advertising in Lebanon holds its place in the public eye

New media
Advertising’s leaders discuss how to move the industry forward

Sick from within
Lebanon’s healthcare suffers from a debilitating case of the NSSF

Call for mercy
Leaders in the medical field say health care needs immediate reform

Waste not want not
Environmental problems take a toll on quality of life

Eco-economy: a worthy catch
Making the ecological economical

Natural, not neutral
Industries and activists alike advocate a new approach to the environment

Holiday hustle
Arab visitors trump Europeans almost two to one in bumper year for tourism

Closing the distance
Lebanon’s tourism industry must allay the fears of more timid travelers

Ready to run
Leading figures in Lebanon’s tourism industry are honing their approach

Elie Marouni (Q&A)
A one-on-one with the former minister

Downshifting an industry
Lebanon’s car dealers brace for a slowdown in sales

Exiting the fast lane
Car sales have their foot off the gas, but are still cruising

Fashion driven
Lebanon’s drivers put style ahead of practicality

Boutique’s new boom
The wait is over for Beirut’s lavishing of luxury

Ritz blitz
Lebanon’s legendary flair for fashion brings shoppers back for more

Faces of fashion
A word from the major players of Lebanon’s luxury retail world

Company bulletin

Arab Perestroika
Is the region able to make radical moves toward democracy?