Global supply chain rattled by Japan quake, tsunami
Global companies from semiconductor makers to shipbuilders faced disruptions to operations after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan destroyed vital infrastructure and knocked out factories supplying everything from high-tech components to steel. Thousands of people have been killed and millions have been left without water, electricity, homes or heat after the 8.9 magnitude quake triggered […]
Huge response to Irish Nationwide debt buyback
Nationalised lender Irish Nationwide has had a near 100 percent take-up for its coercive buyback of £146.2m ($236m) of subordinated debt at an 80 percent discount. The lender, being wound down as part of an EU/IMF bailout, said investors holding £125.7m of bonds due 2016 and £20.5m of notes due 2018 had agreed to the […]
Little Britain stands back as eurozone advances
Do what you like. Just count us out. That, in essence, is the message that Britain is sending its European partners as the 17 countries that share the euro move towards closer economic integration. In a departure from half a century of British diplomacy, PM Cameron has adopted a strategy of benign disengagement from the […]
Will it be Obama vs the economy in 2012?
With a leading Republican candidate yet to emerge, the biggest risk to President Obama’s quest for a second term next year is a jobless rate that has hovered between 9 and 10 percent for months. March 4’s jobless report is expected to show nonfarm payrolls soared in February by 185,000 jobs, but the overall unemployment […]
Nedbank’s FY profit rises as bad debts decline
South Africa’s Nedbank beat expectations with a nine percent increase in annual profit, helped by a fall in bad debts, and said it expected further growth in the coming year. South Africa’s fourth-largest bank, like its rivals, was lacerated by bad debts in 2009, after a recession slashed more than a million jobs and left […]
Company of the decade
While crafting the accolade of Company of the Decade, it has become the opinion of the World Finance editorial team that – more than any other time in the past hundred years – the preceding 10 years has been the time for businesses to shine. During its highs and lows, the global economy of the […]
Rethinking sustainability
It is a pity that the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust, which is also one of the most useful to mankind, is so difficult to render into a useable form. The chemical properties of aluminium make it appear only in combination with other elements, forming compounds such as aluminium sulphate and aluminium oxide. […]
IPO for US broker
Achieving this success has been no small feat. The company’s progress over the last few years is a direct result of FXCM’s dedication to offering the most innovative trading platforms combined with a business model that works in the interests of both the broker and the customer. An integral part of FXCM’s success, according to […]
Banking group optimises on diversification
When CBZ Holdings Limited became operational in June 2005, a period of intense growth through diversification began. This diversification propelled the establishment of CBZ Holdings (CBZH) as an entity poised to provide all client segments through various subsidiaries whose activities include banking, home loans, asset management, long term insurance, short term insurance, securities and properties. […]
IMF: Barbadian economy will grow 2.5% in 2011
With the collapse of natural gas and oil prices, Trinidad and Tobago operated on a budgetary deficit to the tune of TTD3.8bn in the 2010 fiscal year. Net public sector debt is estimated at 49.4 percent of GDP, and the budget deficit is expected to grow to TTD7.7bn in 2011 while debt levels remain at […]
