Saturday 8 March 2014

How much higher can Dubai real estate prices really go? « ArabianMoney

How much higher can Dubai real estate prices really go? « ArabianMoney:



"Knight Frank has revised its annual list of the fastest rising global real estate prices and Dubai now sits at seventh position with a 17 per cent annual gain followed by Abu Dhabi with 15 per cent (see below). 




However such huge leaps in price are not generally sustainable in property markets. Three-year cycles are typical with the best price moves in the second year. Dubai is now in its third year of recovery and Abu Dhabi its second, so you might expect a slowdown in the latter and accleration in the UAE capital.



Table toppers 



Jakarta and Auckland topped the league table as wealthy property investors’ favoured go-to destination, with year-on-year gains of 37.7 per cent and 28.8 per cent respectively. Bali, another Indonesian destination was third, and then followed Christchurch, Dublin and Beijing.



"



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Boo to who? - YouTube

Boo to who? - YouTube: ""



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Region’s low-cost carriers make headway | GulfNews.com

Region’s low-cost carriers make headway | GulfNews.com:



"A lack of secondary airports in the Gulf presents a challenge for low-cost carriers, according to the Alpen Capital report. It states that budget carriers are being forced to operate out of the main airports, which places them in direct competition with a number of flagship full-service carriers.



Sharjah’s Air Arabia is currently the only full-scale low-cost carrier in the region. Others such as flydubai, Saudi Arabia’s flynas and Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways operate hybrid models that may feature business-class, meals and luggage.



However, most of them have been able to turn a profit under the current operating conditions. This begs the question as to how important it is for secondary airports to be developed in the region."



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How Gulf markets stand out in the frontier class | GulfNews.com

How Gulf markets stand out in the frontier class | GulfNews.com:



"One of the key themes of recent months in world investment has been the surprising retreat of emerging markets in the face of the repatriation of international liquidity, and the relative outperformance of the frontier class of generally lesser-developed nations.



Until the aggravated situation arose in Ukraine (relegating tensions in the Middle East in the table of global risks), both that country and others such as Argentina and Kazakhstan had been rather sheltered from the rush of knee-jerk investor reactions.



Now there are signs that these and similarly classified countries will come under increased scrutiny — their underlying economic fundamentals inspected — and that funds flows will become more discriminating between stronger and weaker names, in key variables like foreign reserves cover and debt ratios. Indeed, much attention has been paid to exchange-rate susceptibility already."



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Putin May Be Spared Possible EU Asset Freeze: Sanctions Guide - Bloomberg

Putin May Be Spared Possible EU Asset Freeze: Sanctions Guide - Bloomberg:



"The European Union will refrain from targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin himself as it prepares possible asset freezes and travel bans on Russians deemed responsible for the crisis in Ukraine, the French foreign minister said.



“Those around him can be targeted,” Laurent Fabius told France Info radio today in Paris. “If a country acts in such a way that it doesn’t respect borders, our relations can’t remain the same.”



The comments highlight the balancing act the 28-nation EU is engaged in as it seeks to punish Russia for asserting control over the southern Ukrainian region of Crimea while pursuing a diplomatic settlement with the Kremlin."



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Ukraine 2014 Bond Extends Seventh Weekly Drop on Crimea Standoff - Bloomberg #EuroMaidan

Ukraine 2014 Bond Extends Seventh Weekly Drop on Crimea Standoff - Bloomberg:



"Ukraine’s Eurobonds due in June extended a seventh week of declines as the standoff between Russia and the West over the Crimea region remained unresolved.



The $1 billion of bonds due in three months fell to 91.79 cents on the dollar from 92.35 yesterday and 94.82 on Feb. 28. The yield jumped to as high as 47.11 percent, within 16 basis points of an all-time high on a closing basis. Stocks had the first weekly drop since January while the currency reversed gains as Interfax-Ukraine news service reported the central bank intervened to cap its appreciation.



While Crimean separatists backed by Russian forces pushed to split from Ukraine, the U.S. banned visas for Russian officials and others it said were complicit in violating the sovereignty of the former Soviet state. The U.S. is preparing $1 billion in loan guarantees for Ukraine and the European Union outlined a package worth 11 billion euros ($15 billion) in loans and grants this week, tied to the country striking a deal with the International Monetary Fund."



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