Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland invariably top prosperity surveys, their cities lead quality of life surveys and their citizens live long lives.
Legatum Prosperity Index, a global ranking of wealth and wellbeing, placed all four countries, along with Switzerland, in the top five spots of its recent survey. Finland was first.
According to Patrick Jenkins, from Financial Times, thirty global financial institutions, including six insurance companies such as - Axa, Aegon, Allianz, Aviva, Zurich and Swiss Re, are being carefully followed by regulators for cross-border supervision exercises.
A new report on hedge fund and private equity regulation, published by an influential MEP on Wednesday (25 November), highlights the diverging views held by European parliamentarians and the Swedish EU presidency on the matter. The report by the French centre-right MEP Jean-Paul Gauzes says fund managers should be forced to agree on pre-determined levels of borrowing before making investments, a significantly tougher position than that currently adopted by the Swedes on behalf of member states.
The Spanish-Argentine petroleum company Repsol says it plans to invest $1.5 billion to develop reserves and boost production in Bolivia.Thursday's announcement by Repsol President Antonio Brufau marks the largest private financial commitment since President Evo Morales nationalized the hydrocarbons industry in 2006.
Russian businesses and the government signed at least 25 agreements with French companies, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced Friday, proclaiming "a real breakthrough" in economic relations between the two nations.
MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Mexico's central bank is holding its benchmark interest rate at 4.5 percent for the fourth consecutive month.The bank has spent much of the year cutting rates to spur growth for the recession-wracked economy.The economy grew 2.9 percent in the third quarter over the previous one, but officials estimate Mexico's GDP will fall about 7 percent overall in 2009.
The possible spillover effects centered on fears that international banks could suffer big losses if Dubai's investment arm defaulted on its $60 billion debt. Stock and commodity markets tumbled in New York, London and Asia as investors flocked to the U.S. dollar as a safe haven.
LONDON (Reuters) - Investment flows into hedge funds have turned net positive and the sector is heading toward having assets under management of around $1.75 trillion by year-end, according to Morgan Stanley.
That would take them back up to levels last seen in the second quarter of 2007, it said.
Not long ago Mexico was the superstar among emerging markets, while Brazil remained the butt of jokes dating back the best part of a century. "Brazil is the country of the future and always will be" became a cliché.
According to Financial Times, rivalry among industrial groups General Electric, Siemens and Philips will be harder in the coming years, due to the new competition of all over the title of the biggest seller of green productsEuropean Rivals outpace General Electric, which made $17bn from green products last year and hopes to make $25bn next year.