http://blogs.zawya.com/yadullah/ Eye on the regional business landscape. en-us Copyright 2013 Zawya Ltd. All rights reserved. Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT 12 http://www.zawya.com/blogs/yadullah/091224071412/ The Dubai debt shock was probably the straw that broke the Arabian businesses back as they reeled from a year that brought nothing but misery to most investors, entrepreneurs and professionals across the region. But there were plenty of other stories that had a deep and lasting impact on the region's business landscape. All of this makes the task of putting together a list of Top Ten Stories Of 2009 even more challenging. Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT Zawya 20091224120000091224071412 Open http://www.zawya.com/blogs/yadullah/091201133929/ Is the Dubai debt crisis apocalyptic? No. Is it going to tarnish Dubai's international image? Yes, massively. Is the Dubai growth story intact? Only if Dubai's many state - but apparently not state-guaranteed - companies, can take painful decisions and rethink their business models. Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT Zawya 20091201120000091201133929 Open http://www.zawya.com/blogs/yadullah/090406080524/ Although UAE markets were see-sawing during the first quarter, some UAE-focused funds managed to buck the trend and emerge as some of the region's best-performing funds during the period. Mon, 06 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT Zawya 20090406120000090406080524 Open http://www.zawya.com/blogs/yadullah/090406080317/ Are corporate governance and transparency off the table during the regional economic downturn? Mon, 06 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT Zawya 20090406120000090406080317 Open http://www.zawya.com/blogs/yadullah/080622111009/ Soha Nashaat was not expecting a pot of gold at the end of the Gulf rainbow when she landed in Dubai to head Barclays Wealth's regional operations, but she did find a wealth of opportunities. "It has blown my expectations out of the water," says Nashaat, who swapped London for Dubai and Merrill Lynch for Barclays Wealth eighteen months ago. "I am... Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT Zawya 20080622120000080622111009 Open http://www.zawya.com/blogs/yadullah/080121135329/ For all the talk of de-coupling from the US economy, when push came to shove, all the stock markets of the world came crashing down, dreading a US recession.Much as we would like for our economies not to be undone by the US consumer, Homer Simpson - the quintessential US consumer - continues to dictate the fortunes of the global markets. He has maxed... Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Zawya 20080121120000080121135329 Open http://www.zawya.com/blogs/yadullah/080106080416/ The regional mutual funds industry came into its own this year with the launch of no less than 87 funds, of which nearly two-thirds, or 52, are Sharia-compliant. With most regional equity markets posting well over 30 per cent growth in the year, and institutional interest fuelling growth, the mutual fund industry is poised for even more advances in... Sun, 06 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Zawya 20080106120000080106080416 Open http://www.zawya.com/blogs/yadullah/071203131348/ Can so many global financial institutions be wrong? Over the past few months international stalwarts such as Citibank, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley have all weighed in on their outlook for the Gulf's regional markets, and the verdict is an unequivocal thumbs-up. Adding to this shamal of interest, MSCI, one of the most influential... Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT Zawya 20071203120000071203131348 Open http://www.zawya.com/blogs/yadullah/071106061101/ Many of the great challenges that lie ahead in the regional asset management are being glossed over by the sheer excess of liquidity sloshing around. So what if the Gulf markets remain fragmented, cross-border trade remains difficult and many laws still resemble a patchwork quilt? Here are the industry's key challenges: Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT Zawya 20071106120000071106061101 Open http://www.zawya.com/blogs/yadullah/071027101017/ Should investors jump into the regional stock markets via mutual funds or continue to wait on the sidelines? Joe Kawkabani, managing director of Asset Management at DIFC-based Algebra Capital, said international and institutional investors have already taken the plunge into the mutual funds in the latest wave of post-market crash investments. Sat, 27 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT Zawya 20071027120000071027101017 Open http://www.zawya.com/blogs/yadullah/071027101014/ Second quarter results for the Gulf's major banks will continue to carry traces of last year's capital market crash, with more challenges ahead at least for Saudi banks. In many ways, the performance of Saudi, UAE and Kuwaiti banks is expected to mirror the performance of their local capital markets. While Saudi banks have been hurt by the near 12... Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT Zawya 20071025120000071027101014 Open http://www.zawya.com/blogs/yadullah/071027101031/ The credit crisis has jolted the global financial community, but what impact has it had on Gulf companies and banks? Analysts say it may take a while for the full impact of the US subprime concerns to be fully revealed, but some fallout has been immediate. Days after the subprime meltdown was triggered, the cost of borrowing for regional companies... Sun, 30 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT Zawya 20070930120000071027101031 Open