U.S. Stocks Holding Up Well Relative To Foreign Stocks YTD

The chart below shows the year-to-date(YTD) performance of the S&P 500 and the major indices of most global markets: Click to enlarge Some observations: With a loss of 4.6% YTD for the S&P 500, U.S. stocks are relatively performing better than the stocks of other developed economies. Equities in Italy and Spain have entered the …

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What are the Types of Stocks Traded in China ?

Investing in Chinese stocks is easier if one chooses to invest via ADRs traded on the US markets or stocks listed on other major exchanges. However investing directly in ordinaries on the domestic market in China is complicated. There are many types of stocks for the same company with different rules and restrictions especially for …

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Private Equity Funds Pouring Money Into Distressed U.S. Banks

Private Equity(PE) funds in the U.S. are increasingly attracted to the distressed banking sector in the U.S. While some consider these funds to be agents of change and turnaround experts others consider them destroyers of companies. One German minster called them “locusts”. PE funds usually acquire controlling stakes in companies, engineer changes in management and …

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Global Cement Industry: A Brief Overview

Cement is one of the basic ingredient in the construction industry. The global cement industry is highly fragmented with many international, regional and local players competing in the market.The global majors account for only about one-fourth of the market. Due to increasing infrastructure and real estate development in emerging markets the cement industry is experiencing …

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Should Investors Avoid Bank Stocks in BRIC Countries ?

The MSCI Emerging Markets Index allocates about 25% to the banking sector because this sector forms an significant part of these growing economies. However some investors including professional fund managers tend to avoid banks in the emerging countries for many reasons including their high exposure to the real estate industry, worries about adverse impacts to …

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