2005

The assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri on Valentine’s Day 2005, highlighted Lebanon’s economic vulnerability to sudden political and security events, as reflected in the significant slow down in …

It is perhaps an index of globalization’s totalizing embrace that foreign policy communities around the world have been chuckling over the same one-liner all year long: The war in Iraq …

Jean Riachi Chairman, Financial Funds Advisers E How could UN sanctions on Syria affect Lebanon’s finance sector? What can we expect from Syria in the long term, after possible regime …

Insurance industry representatives in Lebanon recently acknowledged that they expect 2005 to end pretty much as a lost year for business, in line with the “no-growth” environment for GDP and …

In November, during the French book fair in Beirut, the magazine L’Orient-Express – previously the monthly supplement of the daily L’Orient-Le Jour – was published as a special 10-year anniversary …

Despite the political turmoil of 2005, Lebanon’s real estate sector saw activity and prices remain relatively stable. Solidere sold more land than ever before and both Gulf Arabs and Lebanese …

Vincent Najarian General manager of C.A.R.E. real estate consultants E The real estate market, especially the high-end residential market, has appeared to ride out the crisis of 2005. Can you …

Much anticipation surrounded the launch of the IPO of Investcom Holdings in the Middle East. While the Lebanese company did not have any major assets in the GCC or the …

E There has been a lot of reaction to the IPO. Many within the sector claim it was nothing more than a private placement disguised as an IPO, designed to …

The UN investigation into the assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri has impacted the financial scene. The work of German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis and his team to uncover suspects behind …