Global Investing

Activist Investing | Trends
Vanguard CEO William McNabb is making it plain that he wants the many public companies in which the world’s second-largest fund management firm owns significant minority stakes to take Vanguard as seriously as they take activist investors.

A big question mark is pending on how long the US shale production will remain profitable with declining oil prices.

Proxy Voting | Management
Proxy advisory firm ISS updated its proxy voting guidelines last fall to introduce a more detailed approach to the recommendations it makes on companies’ equity plans and shareholder proposals for an independent chairman. The changes could create uncertainty for companies during this year’s proxy season.

Qatar | Newsmakers
Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohamed bin Saud Al-Thani, a member of Qatar’s ruling family, was appointed CEO of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) as part of a reshuffle that includes the addition of other Al-Thani family members.

The global financial crisis and several factors peculiar to Georgia have affected foreign direct investment inflows, but investors willing to deal with tensions and risks will find opportunities.

North America | FDI & Economic Development Update
Knowing their target markets helps northern US states and Canadian provinces compete with the southern US for foreign direct investment.

Corporate Debt | Capital Markets
Euroclear will extend its cross-border settlement services at the end of January to Mexican corporate debt instruments known as cebures, or “bourse certificates.” This will enable Mexican companies to issue peso-denominated debt specifically targeted to international investors.

China | Milestones
China will allow foreign firms to increase their ownership stakes in encouraged sectors and enter into previously protected industries, according to investment guidelines drafted by the National Development and Reform Commission.

Venture Capital | Trends
Start-up companies and innovators in the Arab World have suffered from underinvestment and lack of technology infrastructure in recent years.

Global Finance sat down with Tom Speechley, a partner in emerging markets private equity investment firm Abraaj Group and CEO of Abraaj North America, to discuss key markets for investment, future EM stars and the lure of cities as investment destinations.

Seeking A New Paradigm | Emerging Markets Growth
To ascertain whether emerging markets is an obsolete term, we must first understand what it means.

Pakistan | Frontier Markets Focus
Pakistan’s ability to attract both foreign direct and domestic investment fell dramatically during the past decade. Some of the reasons why still apply.   

Shareholder Activism | Management
Shareholder activism—when investors in a company use their equity as a lever to pressure management—is booming and will grow dramatically on both sides of the Atlantic through mid-2016

Qatar | Country Report
Qatar shows no signs of slowing its internal and external investment. The IMF says Qatar’s real GDP growth should average 6% to 7% in the medium term, supported by public investments, and will likely remain the fastest-growing in the region

Foreign Exchange | Capital Markets
How to take the gaming instinct out of foreign exchange traders has become the order of the day, following last month’s imposition of $4.3 billion in fines on six global banks for manipulating currency benchmarks.

Qatar | Country Report
The QIA, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds with $170 billion of assets, was initially rebuffed, but regardless of the outcome of the deal, it has other fish to fry.

Which banks are best-capitalized? The answer is not that easy, if Basel III risk-based capital ratios are the only thing looked at. It depends a lot on what is observed.

Annual Survey | Stars Of China
Something’s changed this year. Midmarket innovators are taking the lead, Internet companies are now world-beaters, and banks are staking their ground in a whole new way.

Frontier Markets Focus | Romania
Romania aggressively pursues foreign direct investment by providing a number of incentive programs. But international investors should approach each one carefully.

FX Supplement 2014 | Overview
Will regulation repair forex’s damaged reputation—and are banks ready for the culture change?