Singapore losing fight to lure IPOs

Asia’s second-largest bourse struggles as Chinese firms look for higher valuations

The double game China is playing

China presents itself as a schizophrenic power: a developing country on select international issues, but in other matters a rising superpower with new muscular confidence that supposedly is in the same league as the United States.

When a bear starts eyeing you up, be very concerned

When one of the financial world’s most successful bears starts casting his eye over a market looking for ways to sell it short, you might think the bulls would begin to get a bit nervous.

Don’t read too much into China’s export rebound

The global media have been making a great song and dance about China’s latest trade figures, which were released on Sunday.

Dubai foreclosure may open floodgates

Dubai’s housing rout sent prices down 52 per cent in the past year, prompting some homeowners to abandon their cars and mortgage payments and flee the country. Not one received a foreclosure notice. Until now.

Graft-fighters target dodgy property deals

The Communist Party has targeted property-related corruption for the first time as its top anti-graft agency began a three-day annual meeting to map out this year’s key missions.

Keeping business in the family

Succession of management, values and ownership needs to be addressed for smooth transition to the next generation

Privatising coal mines blamed for shortages

The controversial drive to privatise coal mines in Shanxi province is one of the culprits behind this winter’s electricity shortages, a mainland newspaper reported yesterday.

Century Weekly hits China’s media scene

One of China’s most closely watched magazine ventures hit news stalls yesterday, entering a murky media landscape where reform plans remain yoked to state controls on editors and private investors.

Mid-space missile test marks milestone for defence strategy

China’s mid-space missile interception test may seem less fancy than when it knocked out an ageing satellite with a missile three years ago, but its practical implication and technological achievements are far greater.

US asks for more details on missile intercept test

Washington asked Beijing yesterday for more information about Monday’s rocket test, in which a missile destroyed an incoming warhead while it was still in space. The US said it wanted China to clarify its intentions and plans to develop such technologies.

SGX’s IPO revamp: more can be done

Balancing the achievement of commercial objectives (i.e., making a profit) against the need to protect the public’s interest is always a tricky business, and it is one that the Singapore Exchange (SGX) has had to perform repeatedly over the years.

Goldman E-Mail Message Lays Bare Trading Conflicts

For years, Wall Street whispered that Goldman Sachs profited handsomely by trading ahead of – or even against – its own clients.