THE GLOBE INVEST

A revolution is always earth-shattering for any nation. Major socio-political changes occur and they are followed by years of unrest. Egypt had two revolutions in the space of a few years, yet the resilience of the Egyptians and the Egyptian economy has been unprecedented. The population’s reaction was astonishing: the June 30 revolution took place in 2013, and people still went to work as normal the very next morning. Egyptian Steel was established just six months before the first revolution and, seven years later, is now one of the largest building materials companies in Egypt and the region. We were able to grow and flourish during this difficult period, and are not the only success story to emerge from these turbulent years. The country has definitely had its struggles, but I believe we are bouncing back much faster and stronger than other nations that have gone through similar circumstances. Steel demand The demand for steel is always high, especially in Egypt and other A...

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is currently undergoing a series of significant reforms that will transform the country over the coming years. Vision 2030, which was first unveiled in 2016, has several major goals, including decreasing the country’s reliance on fossil fuels for economic growth and increasing the private sector’s participation in the economy. The kingdom is also in the process of driving foreign direct investment. Vision 2030 also involves increasing small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs’) contributions to the economy, and privatising government companies in sectors such as utilities, transportation, and religious and archaeological tourism. Other areas that are currently being focused on include the development of the country’s education, healthcare and infrastructure sectors. This said, the two most important economic reforms at present involve ensuring that public equity markets are aligned with international standards, and enhancing women’s participation in...

Warren Buffett, the world’s most famous investor, released the latest letter from his investment vehicle, Berkshire Hathaway, at the weekend. What does the ultimate investment guru have to tell us?Well, put simply – the market’s too damn expensive. What Warren Buffett looks for in a company Whatever you think of the superficial trappings of Warren Buffett’s communication style – the folksy twang, the low-rent salesmanship, the cheeky old chappie off-colour metaphors – his ability to explain a really quite complicated business to normal people is very impressive. Perhaps more than anything else – including his performance – this communication ability explains why he’s the world’s most famous investor. He beings by pointing out that there are four ways in which to “add value” to Berkshire. They can buy new stand-alone companies.  They can buy new companies to bolt on to ones he already owns. The companies they already own can become bigger and more profitable. ...

Targeted industrial and development policies have re-emerged as the go-to apparatus for attracting investment to strengthen domestic productive capacity and international trade competitiveness. Meanwhile, the global launch of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has driven home the need for governments worldwide to promote and facilitate not just more investment, but the right kind of investment. A proven policy option for developing-country governments is the establishment of special economic zones (SEZs). These zones can promote investments capable of delivering the desired capacity-building and technology diffusion outcomes and, in addition, offer significant latent potential to attract and leverage sustainable development-oriented investment. SEZs – sometimes called export-processing zones, industrial development zones, free trade zones or a range of other epithets – have seen a spectacular rise in popularity over the past few decades.  Situated in geograp...

Copenhagen’s green roots can be traced back to the European energy crisis of the 1970s. At this time, Denmark took the first dramatic steps of becoming fossil-fuel-independent, and the Danish state started investing heavily in wind technology, which has since made Denmark one of the leading countries in wind energy production. Today, Copenhagen has a vision of becoming the first CO2-neutral capital by 2025. This is a political vision that signals to businesses all over the world that the government is committed to taking bold actions to build and invest in a sustainable city. Consequently, Copenhagen has become the perfect playground for companies that wish to be at the forefront of green technological developments. This is where Copenhagen Capacity plays a crucial role. Our overarching goal is to present international companies and talents with opportunities that will make them thrive in Greater Copenhagen. For instance, we help foreign companies become a part of Copenh...

The popularity of ETFs is booming like never before. Investors are attracted by their low costs compared with those of traditional actively managed funds  MARKETS Author:  Luján Scarpinell February 14, 2018 “There is a lot in common between electric guitars and exchange-traded funds [ETFs],” according to Martin Small, BlackRock’s Head of US iShares. IShares is a global leader within the ETF market and part of the world’s largest asset manager. “Every rock and blues song that has ever been written has its foundation in the pentatonic scale, which has five notes,” Small said in an educational video shown on the company’s website. In his explanation of the comparison between music and finance, he said that what makes music more interesting and allows people to add their own colour is the combination of those notes with a transforming technology, like an electric guitar. ETFs can reflect, for better or worse, the performance of the assets they replic...

                                                                       China's plan for President Xi Jinping to remain in office indefinitely has sparked social media opposition, drawing comparisons to North Korea's ruling dynasty and charges of creating a dictator by a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist. The social media reaction late on Sunday quickly saw China swing into a concerted propaganda push by Monday, blocking some articles and publishing pieces praising the party. The ruling Communist Party on Sunday proposed to remove a constitutional clause limiting presidential service to just two terms in office, meaning Xi, who also heads the party and the military, might never have to retire. The proposal, which will be passed by delegates loyal to the party at next month's annual meeting of China's ...