Tehran’s ability to project its stature across the Middle East has been severely curtailed in recent months because of the economic collapse at home. Most analysts expected...
Iran Sidelines Itself on Global Stage
Economic Turmoil Aggravated by Failed Remittances
Florida is an epicenter of outbound remittances for the Caribbean Basin, large portions of which have now evaporated because of the collapse in the state economy. A challenge is...
Hedge-Fund Managers Swim Upstream
It is a tough time to be in the alternatives business. According to BarclayHedge, the hedge-fund industry saw widespread redemptions in March...
Walmart Transformed by Jet.com
When Bentonville-based Walmart acquired Hoboken-based Jet.com in 2016, the buzz was about Walmart diversifying its revenue streams by reaching toward the upscale...
Boeing is Economic Bellwether
Those searching for a realistic assessment of the global economy may need to look no farther than Seattle-based Boeing. Predictably, the aerospace giant did not see...
Supply-Chain Strategies Isolate China
Japanese companies have spent years outsourcing components of their supply chain to China. Among other points, the approach was a sensible way to lower...
Is Covid-19 Decimating Venture Capital?
Not really. But it does change the complexion of the industry materially. While the focus in the past may have been on financing portfolio companies that show the best growth...
European Travel Industry Withers Amid Coronavirus
According to the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels in Greece, some 65% of hotels in the country are on the verge of bankruptcy. The outlook is equally dire in other tourist-heavy...
Is Maritime Security a Growth Industry?
Maritime security has been transitioning from a fractionalized industry to a more rational business dominated by a handful of major players. Does this consolidation...
US Hoteliers Play Waiting Game in Cuba
A case can be made that the dearth of activity by US hotel companies in Cuba is opening doors for other, non-US organizations. Spain-based Melia, for instance, now operates...
Vietnam Captures Global Coffee Trade
Which country is the world’s largest coffee producer? You would guess correctly with Brazil. But the world’s second largest? The answer is Vietnam. Producers based...
Venezuela Narrows Caribbean Opportunity Set
Residents of the Bahamas and Cayman Islands may be quick to point out that the Venezuelan crisis is a distant concern, but the impact on the overall region may be menacing.
Indonesians Too Like Expensive Toilets
The announcement at the end of 2017 by US-based Kohler Co., the manufacturer of high-end kitchen and bathroom fixtures, that it was inaugurating an Indonesian production...
Cybersecurity Thrives on Back of Artificial Intelligence
The Pentagon should know that opacity breeds criticism. Yet it has been largely mute on the artificial-intelligence initiative that it rolled out in mid-2018, hiding behind a “classified” veil.
Sports Venues Suffer From Mall Disease
The American mall is not the only part of discretionary consumer economy on the wane. There is a quiet rumbling among owners and operators of sports venues—stadiums...
Houston Mega-Project Spotlights Local Incubator
Rice University rolled out plans for its Midtown Houston property last month. The parcel—historically leased to a Sears store—will be converted into a so-called...
Does the ‘Year of the Pig’ Tread on Muslims?
China and its diaspora are abuzz this month with festivities tied to the Lunar New Year, celebrating the last animal in the zodiac, the pig. And while that may not spark much...
Theme Parks Benefit From Unexpected Investors
Tottering theme parks may find new life in corporate venture capital, largely for knowledge-transfer reasons. And while it may be too early to identify a trend, we are...
EU Points to Saudi Money-Laundering Issues
Brussels is having second thoughts about embracing Saudi Arabia’s stature on the global stage, at least as far as the Kingdom’s money laundering protocols are concerned.
How Should Investors Frame Kandy Riots?
Some analysts dismiss the ethnic attacks in Sri Lanka last week as a purely domestic affair. Globalists should be less cavalier. The tragedy is a sobering reflection on our collective...
Romania Adopts Its First Unicorn
UiPath may not be a household name, but the company is on a torrid growth trajectory. Over the past four months, the firm claims that it has doubled its workforce...
Indian Elite Embrace Family Offices
What do billionaires in India do with their money? The question is more practical than quaint. They can wrestle with myriad financial advisors, plow funds back into their...
Bank Stocks Lure Investors to Colombia
The bombings in the northeast city of Barranquilla at the end of January are a savage reminder of the evolving political setting in Colombia. Despite the government’s...
Startup Scene in Vietnam Turns Chaotic
The entire country of Vietnam is fast-transforming itself into the Silicon Valley of Southeast Asia. One reason is rapid economic growth; another is the youthful population.
Saudi Arabia Drills for ‘White Oil’
Tourism has never been a priority in Saudi Arabia, ostensibly because of visitors’ lack of sensitivity to local customs. Peripatetic businessmen are one thing; individual...
Bitcoin Abets Terrorism. Maybe.
Zoobia Shahnaz is a name that you may read about again. In December 2017, she was arrested in New York on a string of terrorist-finance charges. The federal indictment...
China’s Middle Class Sours on Cruise Industry
The sky was the limit. According to the China Cruise & Yacht Industry Association, the number of cruises from Chinese home ports grew from 28 in 2008 to 927 in 2016. As recently as...
Investors Mesmerized by Cybersecurity
Headlines are one reason cybersecurity is trending among venture capitalists. The Equifax and Uber hacks, among others, are de facto marketing campaigns for the industry.
Africa Forges New Billionaires
Private wealth in Africa continues to gain momentum. According to Forbes, there are now 23 billionaires on the continent. Eight of them reside in South Africa, six in Egypt.
Is America on the Cusp of an Infrastructure Plan?
The White House appears to be making a major shift in its infrastructure approach, somewhat unexpectedly. Rather than roll out infrastructure improvements...
Geography Lessons Are Expensive
Marriott usually excels in diplomacy. It has hotel properties in more than 120 countries and territories. However, the worldview held by one corner of its marketing department...
Let’s Do Crypto. Or Blockchain. Or Both.
Kodak declared this week that it was getting into the cryptocurrency and blockchain business. The announcement was thin on details and big on splash, suggesting...
US Dollar Outlook Lacks Spirit
Currency traders may have a dull year in 2018, with the US dollar seeing sluggish movement. Optimists anticipate that rate hikes by the Federal Reserve will buoy...
Cybersecurity is the New Deal Metric
The intersection between cybersecurity and medical technology is the pacemaker, at least this week. The Food and Drug Administration has forced NYSE-traded...
Robots Streamline Air Travel
Airlines are getting serious about robots. Think ticketing kiosks on wheels, turbocharged with Siri. Air New Zealand just finished a test that involved using a robot to check-in...
Beijing Closes Cash Spigot
China is now a less hospitable destination, at least for certain dealmakers. Ernst & Young estimates that Chinese outbound investment is set to reach $100 billion in 2017...
Bikinis Deflected From Indonesian Airspace
Vietnam-based Vietjet is no ordinary airline. It has carved out consumer awareness of its brand by featuring bikini-clad flight attendants. The gimmick has worked for its...
Tech Metals Ignite Mining Industry
There may not be enough tech metals worldwide to meet soaring demand. Mobile phones and solar panels cannot be produced without lithium or indium. Other essential...
Caribbean Passport Programs Hit Speed Bump
Many nations have citizenship-by-investment policies to entice deep pockets, but Caribbean nations have been under fire for their relatively low hurdles. The tiny island of Dominica...
