Dubai / Emirates Business Healthcare and trade professionals from more than 160 countries will descend on Dubai on Monday for the opening of Arab Health Exhibition & Congress, the largest gathering of healthcare companies, technology, products and services in the Middle East. Following the success the 2018 edition, where over $778 million worth of business was generated by exhibitors, it ...
Read More »Elections to fuel economic growth of Philippines in ’19
Bloomberg Philippine economic growth which weakened to a three-year low in 2018 will rebound this year, boosted by spending for the May mid-term elections and helped by moderating prices, the nation’s chief economist said. “With the declining inflation, domestic demand will strengthen,†Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said in an interview in his office. Hitting the low-end of the 7 ...
Read More »Thai property to stay hot in chillier times
Bloomberg Thailand’s booming property market is at risk of cooling this year as rampant construction threatens an oversupply of apartments amid increasing global economic headwinds. The country has been a relative bright spot in an otherwise lackluster Southeast Asian real estate market. Thai residential property has experienced substantial growth in recent years, much of it fueled by buyers from China, ...
Read More »Emerging Asia market rebound in sight with China, trade caveats
Bloomberg This year is looking a little brighter for Asia’s emerging-market assets amid prospects of a less aggressive Federal Reserve. But US-China trade war saga and its impact on growth will keep traders on their toes. That’s according to 14 strategists, traders and investors surveyed by Bloomberg. Malaysia’s ringgit was their favourite of eight regional currencies as the nation’s central ...
Read More »Indonesia seeks new avenues for Hajj funds
Bloomberg Indonesia is seeking new avenues to deploy a part of its $8 billion Hajj funds. But there’s a catch — potential suitors need to be Shariah compliant. The government agency managing the Hajj fund in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country has accumulated 111 trillion rupiah ($7.9 billion) as the waiting list to make the holy pilgrimage for applicants stretches ...
Read More »Indonesia palm oil tycoon dies
Bloomberg Eka Tjipta Widjaja, who became a coconut and palm-oil trader at the age of 15 before building a multi-billion dollar empire with businesses spanning paper and pulp to financial services, has died. Widjaja, 98, passed away at his home in Jakarta on Saturday, said Gandi Sulistiyanto, a managing director at Sinar Mas Group. The founder of Sinar Mas was ...
Read More »Modi’s record debt sales to pressure Indian bonds
Bloomberg After posting the best quarter in four years, Indian bonds are pitted against a familiar foe: likely record debt sales by the government to finance populist measures before national elections due by May. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration may announce plans to borrow 6.4 trillion rupees ($90 billion) for the next fiscal year in its budget, according to the ...
Read More »Rallying tech stocks get no love with profit recession looming
Bloomberg Tech stocks are bouncing back. But distaste for what was the market’s favourite group as recently as last summer is starting to spread among large swaths of money managers. Headed into the heart of earnings season, hedge funds cut their industry exposure to the lowest level since July 2016, client data compiled by Goldman Sachs showed. Meanwhile, investors have ...
Read More »Mideast shares climb
Bloomberg Most Middle Eastern stock indexes rose as investors tracked full-year earnings and merger deals. Egypt’s main gauge advanced to its highest level since November. Global Telecom Holding added 10 percent after majority shareholder Veon Ltd. offered to support the company’s funding requirements and look at taking it private. Ahli United Bank shares in Bahrain and Kuwait rose after Kuwait ...
Read More »Philippine fund now looks for new horizon
Bloomberg A Philippine fund manager that made money amid the 2018 equity meltdown is now looking for new horizons. Michael Garcia, the CEO  and chief investment officer of MBG Capital Inc. in Manila, wants to apply his expertise of Philippine shares to Vietnam and Myanmar. While considered frontier markets, he says they offer investment themes similar to the ones he’s ...
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