US Ranks 3rd in Ease of Doing Business 2009

According to the latest Doing Business Report 2009 published by the World Bank, the USA ranks third in ease of doing business. This report is based on comparison of 181 economies from around the world. The following regulations affecting 10 stages of a business’s life were measured : “starting a business, dealing with construction permits, …

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Knowledge is Power: Banks of Brazil Ready to Bounce Edition

1.In more normal times, shareholder meetings were relatively genteel affairs. A smattering of people, many retired, would show up, ask a few questions and approve the various resolutions before demolishing the wine and sandwiches. A chief executive was more likely to be challenged over the quality of the biscuits than the finer details of the …

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IMF: European Economies To Contract Sharply This Year

The IMF released it Regional Economic Outlook for Europe on May 12th. Some of the key takeaways from this release are: Source: IMF Europe’s current deep recession there is a risk that it could worsen further Western Europe is projected to see their economies shrink by 4.0% in 2009 Output in Emerging European countries would …

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A Look at the Latest US International Trade Data

The latest US trade data show a small improvement. The trade balance for February 2009 stood at -$26.0B  from $36.2 in January. Canada, China and Mexico remained the top three countries with which the US trades. Trade with Canada, the largest trading partner of US, stood at $33.02B but that is still 32% less than …

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Emerging Markets Rose Sharply From March Lows

Emerging market indices have outperformed developed markets since the lows reached on March 9 this year. The following table lists the performance of select indices: [TABLE=149] The top markets in the global recovery were Singapore and Hong Kong with both rising over 50%. During the same period the S&P 500 is up 37%. Latin American …

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