Big oil is turning its attention to Iraq once again. But this time, instead of fear and dread, oil companies are looking to the Gulf state with hope and optimism. In recent years, the Iraqi oil industry usually made the news for all the wrong reasons: sabotages of pipelines, bomb attacks at drilling sites, employee kidnappings, and government corruption. But U.S. and international oil firms are now focusing on the oil-rich nation as the site of expansion efforts that could prove to be very profitable. [click to continue…]
Many investors who had the resolve to keep their equity holdings in place as global markets plunged to new lows in the first few months of 2009 were the beneficiaries of a familiar gift from an old friend. Emerging markets, which have regularly enhanced investor returns in recent years (well, prior to 2008 at least) [...]
Gulf States ETFs, which had been enjoying sustained rallies in recent months, paused last week as turmoil in Iran intensified and tremendous uncertainty looming over the entire region. While few ETFs on the market maintain any direct holdings in Iranian companies, the fallout over presidential elections held earlier this month threatens to destabilize the entire [...]