The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.

KKR & Co. is stepping up investments in Japan. That’s a wise geographical choice. The US private-equity firm, which said it has raised a record $9.3 billion Asia fund, has made considerable strides in a country once hostile toward corporate takeovers. Of its top five deals in the region, three have been in Japan. Toshiba Corp.’s chip unit would be ...

The notion that Donald Trump would ‘drain the swamp’ was always suspect. The then-candidate himself confessed to second thoughts about his pledge shortly after making it. Still, the speed and extent of his abandonment are stunning. Not only did Trump hire people with real or potential conflicts of interest, he at first refused to divulge how many or to whom ...

It’s a common sight in rural China: rows and rows of low-rise apartment buildings, often topped by solar water heaters the size of kitchen tables. By one estimate, 30 million Chinese households rely upon the devices for hot water. They’re served by 3,000 companies that sell around one million of the devices annually. Neither subsidies nor environmental guilt account for ...

For quite a while now, it’s been rare to hear the name “India” without the giddy qualifier, “the world’s fastest-growing large economy.” Those seeking to promote India as a destination for investment — including, perhaps especially, its government — have driven home the message that India is the “bright spot” in the global economy. The latest data on economic growth ...

Critics of globalization have named their enemies: those citizens of the world who, in British Prime Minister Theresa May’s scornful phrase, are really “citizens of nowhere.” Populist leaders are championing policies to combat such cosmopolitanism — restricting migration, rethinking regional trade deals, pressuring companies to create jobs at home. Yet while it contains some truths, the populists’ diagnosis is incomplete. ...

In the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, Calvin asks his dad how engineers determine the weight limit on bridges. The dad answers that they do this by driving heavier and heavier trucks over the bridge until it breaks, then rebuild the bridge after discovering what it took to break it. This isn’t how engineers actually figure out the safety specifications ...

Bloomberg Investors schooled in the diplomatic ups and downs between Qatar and other Arab nations say there’s no reason for panic. The Gulf nation’s equities plummeted the most since 2009 as four Arab nations push to isolate Qatar for its ties to Iran. If history is any guide, the tensions won’t have a lasting impact on the country’s financial assets. ...

Bloomberg The speculative frenzy in bitcoin is spilling over into the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Remixpoint Co., Infoteria Corp. and Fisco Ltd., have all seen volatile swings in their share prices after announcing businesses related to digital currencies. Remixpoint, which has more than doubled since tying up with Peach Aviation Ltd. to let customers pay for tickets with bitcoin, fell as ...

Bloomberg Qatari banks, already stretched by financing demands of the $200 billion 2022 World Cup, took a head-on blow from its neighbours’ abrupt decision to cut economic and diplomatic ties. At risk are the foreign deposits-especially from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council-that have helped sustain institutions like Qatar National Bank QPSC, the region’s largest by assets, and Doha Bank QSC. ...

DOHA / Reuters The Qatari currency came under pressure on Tuesday as Gulf commercial banks began to hold off on dealing with Qatari banks because of the diplomatic rift in the region, banking sources said. Some Saudi Arabian, UAE and Bahraini banks were delaying business with Qatari banks, such as letters of credit, after their governments cut diplomatic ties and ...