Economics

US immigration for sale‏

Source: Wall Street Journal By NICK TIMIRAOS The reeling housing market has come to this: To shore it up, two Senators are preparing to introduce a bipartisan bill Thursday that would give residence visas to foreigners who spend at least $500,000 to buy houses in the U.S. The provision is […]

Trade deficit next year ‘possible’

BEIJING – China may see its first annual trade deficit for two decades next year, Wei Jianguo, former vice-minister of commerce, said. September and October are traditionally the peak time for contracts ahead of the festive season in Europe and the United States but demand is sharply down this year, […]

Citigroup Earnings Rise 74% to $3.8 Billion

With a big push from a one-time accounting gain, Citigroup on Monday squeezed out its seventh-straight quarterly profit, but it faces significant challenges to growth. Citigroup announced a third-quarter profit of $3.8 billion, or $1.23 a share, beating analyst consensus estimates of 81 cents a share. That represented a 74 […]

Getting back to business in Libya

As politicians and diplomats strive for a return to normality in Libya, potential avenues for Swiss business are being sketched out. However, there is still a lot of work to be done before business with Libya can go back to how it was under Moammar Gaddafi’s rule or even expand. […]

G20 finance chiefs back Europe bank rescue

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Finance ministers from the world’s largest economies pledged Saturday to take “all necessary actions” to stabilize global financial markets and ensure that banks are well capitalized. “We will ensure that banks are adequately capitalized and have sufficient access to funding to deal with the current crisis,” […]

Offering support

The Jordanian government decided to send a large delegation of officials and business leaders to Libya to offer support for its reconstruction, a move that is necessary, even if it came a bit late in the hour.The minister of industry and trade will head the delegation – hefty from the […]

Europe should embrace failure

Failure is not a bad thing. Sure, losing or failing doesn’t give you the warm fuzzies inside, but failing and adapting ultimately sets you up for greater success. In a 2008 commencement address to Harvard, author J.K. Rowling, who made a billion dollars for her Harry Potter series, adroitly summed […]

Harrisburg files for bankruptcy

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — The city council of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, voted to file for bankruptcy protection Tuesday night. The state capital of Pennsylvania, with just under 50,000 residents, was facing a possible takeover of its operations by the state government under a receivership. It had been designated as “financially distressed” […]

Cabinet flags off east-west railway

By P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: The Council of Ministers on Monday took a landmark decision to implement a land bridge project that would link the Kingdom’s east with its west with a railway line, bringing about a dramatic change in the region’s transport system. The project, which […]