Money matters By Trustnet Correspondent 04-Sep-2009
Currency discussions dominated this week's thoughts on the future of investments in the GCC.

Sharia-compliant assets in GCC and Asia almost triple By Barney Hatt 27-May-2009
Sharia sensitive assets in 2008 in the GCC and Asia reached $736bn last year compared to $267bn in 2007, according to a report by Ernst & Young.

Islamic finance: just another asset class? By Barney Hatt 14-May-2009
Islamic funds based on Sharia principles could offer an increasingly attractive alternative as investors continue to seek out asset classes that offer returns with less risk.

Saxo: Oil price slump biggest challenge for GCC By Barney Hatt 06-May-2009
The biggest challenge for the Gulf countries that have traditionally relied on energy production revenues for growing its reserves and financing its development is the drop in oil prices, according to Danish online investment bank Saxo Bank.

Silk Invest targets Africa and Middle East regions By Barney Hatt 25-Mar-2009
Silk Invest, a London-based boutique founded by some experienced fund industry figures, is targeting strategically selected growth regions namely Africa and the Middle East.

T Rowe: China and India offer investors bright spots By Barney Hatt 17-Mar-2009
Frances Dydasco, portfolio manager of the Luxembourg-domiciled T Rowe Asia ex-Japan Equity fund, is looking to Asia to lead the economy out of recession, and believes China and India offer investors bright spots in the current challenging global environment.

Distressed: Top hedge fund strategy for 2009? By Barney Hatt 30-Jan-2009
Multiple research sources and industry providers suggest that 2009 could be the year distressed strategies take up the reins of leadership in the hedge fund sector.

MENA markets: Growth prospects still good says Tom Connolly By Leonora Walters 19-Jan-2009
After period of growth and rising markets, during 2008 equities markets in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region experienced sharp falls which have impacted – certainly in the short term - the development of the financial services industry. However over the long-term the Middle East could still be one of the fastest growing regions in the world, argues Tom Connolly, managing director, head of asset management for the Middle East at BNY Mellon. Long-term progress will still be achieved, albeit a bit more slowly, while markets could bounce back fast.

Weekly diary: Dubai office rents hit by slowdown By Trustnet Correspondent 16-Jan-2009
Office rents in Dubai have declined between 11-16 per cent in the fourth-quarter of 2008 due to the economic slowdown, according to a leading property management firm Asteco.

Greater opportunities in leaner hedge fund industry? By Barney Hatt 16-Jan-2009
In the short-term, redemption overhang will put pressure on hedge funds, but longer term a smaller industry will have greater opportunities in less efficient markets, according to Julius Baer.

Weekly diary: All eyes on Israeli-Hamas conflict By Trustnet Correspondent 02-Jan-2009
The year 2008 could be deemed by many as a 'forgetful one' in particular due to the resurrection of the Israeli-Hamas conflict.

Short-selling doesn't affect stock prices, research reveals By Barney Hatt 17-Dec-2008
Short-selling has not been a major causal factor in recent share price declines or stock market volatility, according to recent research.

Weekly diary: Dubai 'property gamble' doesn’t pay off By Trustnet Correspondent 16-Dec-2008
There is little doubt that property in Dubai is in difficulty. This is a state with no oil to provide a back-stop and has instead indulged in a unique 'property gamble' which now started show signs of a slump.

Confidence in ratings agencies slumps By Barney Hatt 12-Dec-2008
Calls for reform of credit ratings agencies have intensified recently with new rules imposed in the US and Europe as the stress in financial markets worldwide continues to unravel.

Weekly diary: Global economic weakness sinks oil to ‘record’ lows By Trustnet Correspondent 07-Dec-2008
At the end of week, the benchmark WTI was trading at $44 per barrel, suggesting that the recession in the US and collapsing Chinese economic growth were capable of taking the world into a mild depression. At the beginning of the current

Hedge fund story bruised but still alive By Barney Hatt 28-Nov-2008
The case for investing in hedge funds has taken a severe battering in recent months with many funds showing negative returns, greater correlation with mainstream investments and an inability to redeem in a crisis.

Infrastructure boat still afloat for new investors By Barney Hatt 26-Nov-2008
Investor interest in infrastructure seems to have increased recently with spending commitment from governments around the globe providing a short-term boost for the sector, and funds are now searching for the projects to invest in.

Qatar tops list of Mena economies By Barney Hatt 27-Oct-2008
Qatar has ranked highest of the Mena economies in the latest Global Competitiveness Index compiled by the World Economic Forum.

Meet the manager: Mohammed Hanif of Insparo Asset Management By Barney Hatt 22-Oct-2008
UK-based Insparo Asset Management is a specialist asset management company that aims to profit from frontier markets in Africa and the Middle East.

Meet the manager: Ajay Argal of Birla Sun Life India Advantage By Jonathan Boyd 14-Oct-2008
Birla Sun Life's Mauritius-based India Advantage fund maintains an exposure to core Indian big caps that have helped it outperform the sector over the past three and five-year periods. Times change, however, and an update from manager Ajay Argal puts recent global and Indian stock market swings in context of the fund's mandate.

Meet the manager, Jim Quinn, Lionhart (Middle East) By Barney Hatt 30-Sep-2008
The Lionhart Group, an alternative investment management group with $800m assets under management specialising in global multi-strategy arbitrage, is hoping to attract $2 bn investment from the Gulf in the next few years through its new branch at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

Funds administration key to Bahrain asset management development By Jonathan Boyd 26-Sep-2008
Bahrain will use funds administration as the wedge to drive open the value of building an asset manager community based in the country, according to Jane Dellar, managing director of Bahrain Financial Services.

Hedge fund returns, inflows slump By Barney Hatt 11-Sep-2008
Hedge funds are delivering their worst returns in a decade and inflows dropped significantly in July.

Tough times for funds of hedge funds By Barney Hatt 08-Sep-2008
The performance of many of the best-known listed funds of hedge funds has suffered over the year to date, with many giving up some of the gains made last year.

Can Sharia hedge funds survive? By Barney Hatt 04-Sep-2008
There is nothing new about a Sharia-compliant investment fund: the first such fund was established in the late 1980s. Similarly, there is certainly nothing new about hedge funds: the first such funds were established as long ago as 1949. But Sharia-compliant hedge funds are certainly a new concept.

Meet the manager: Grant Shotter, Hexam Global Resources Absolute Return Fund By Lily Lin 03-Sep-2008
Grant Shotter, lead manager of the Hexam Global Resources Absolute Return Fund, discusses how Hexam views the future of emerging markets equities - paying particular attention to the commodity sector.

Mena funds reap rewards By Barney Hatt 01-Sep-2008
Funds invested in the Mena region grew by an average of 19.70% in the first half of 2008, according to Lipper’s first-half GCC fund market report.

Sharia hedge funds raise profile in GCC, MENA By Emma Donnelly 07-Aug-2008
Moves to involve global banking groups in developing Sharia hedge fund products to meet local market demand looks set to speed up their introduction.

Meet the house: Thames River Capital By Barney Hatt 05-Aug-2008
London-based boutique manager Thames River Capital currently only has around 2% of its $13bn assets under management in the Middle East. However, the firm is actively seeking investment for a number of its hedge funds from heavyweight GCC investors, including sovereign wealth funds.

FTSE to roll out MENA small cap indices: MD explains how By Leonora Walters 04-Aug-2008
Index provider FTSE is to create small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) markets and indices across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, in conjunction with the Qatar Financial Markets Authority and Qatari youth investment initiative Silatech. FTSE will then create a complimentary index series covering all of the participating SME markets in the MENA region.

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