News
Microfinance Industry May Be Stressed by Recession, Report Finds
July 10, 2009The global microfinance industry may not be as insulated from the economic mainstream as traditionally thought, leaving it vulnerable to declines in growth and funding due to the global recession and declining investor confidence, a new report from the...
MFX Solutions Secures $13M in Financing, Launches Operations
July 08, 2009ACCION International has announced that MFX Solutions, a company established in October to help microfinance institutions (MFIs) and investors manage global currency risk, has launched operations after securing $13 million during its first round of financing...
EU Warns Member States of New Russian-Ukrainian Gas War
July 08, 2009By Roman Kupchinsky Following a recent telephone conversation between the head of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, and the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the commission urged all E.U. member states to immediately begin filling gas...
Azerbaijan-Russia Gas Agreement: a Wakeup Call to EU and US
July 02, 2009By Vladimir Socor Meeting in Baku on June 29, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev witnessed the signing of an agreement on Azerbaijani gas deliveries to Russia. The initial volumes are small, but the agreement...
Dealership Closures Concern Car Owners About Auto Parts Availability
July 01, 2009With thousands of auto dealerships closing across the nation and announcements of major car brands phasing out production, many car owners are alarmed about the availability of parts they'll need to maintain their vehicles. The nation's oldest and largest...
New NYSE listing will be first to aim at Islamic market
July 01, 2009The first American ETF to adhere to centuries-old Islamic beliefs about investing and finance is to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange today under the ticker symbol JVS. Javelin Exchange Traded Funds ("JETS") Dow Jones Islamic Market...
Luck Runs Out For Russian Casinos, Gaming Halls
June 30, 2009By Kevin O'Flynn The casinos on Novy Arbat street, the main gambling strip in Moscow, have already turned off their lights. One of the oldest casinos in the country, Metelitsa, has two signs, one saying, "Thanks for 16 years of trust" and...
Mortgage Rates Drop for Second Straight Week in U.S.
June 30, 2009Rates Fall Further on Monday, According to Zillow(R) Mortgage Rate Monitor. The weekly average rate borrowers were quoted on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace for 30-year fixed mortgages decreased last week to 5.48 percent, down from 5.58 percent the week...
Gazprom Stays the Course Under Putin's "Manual Management"
June 29, 2009By Pavel K. Baev Russian energy super-giant Gazprom has taken severe blows in the still-deepening recession, and the worst setbacks have happened in its most profitable market - the European Union. Various assessments show that the volume of its export...
Economic Crisis Threatens to Kill Off the CIS
June 25, 2009By Paul Goble The economic crisis in the Russian Federation and other post-Soviet states may finally lead to the complete collapse of the Commonwealth of Independent States because, in the absence of agreement on a common plan of action, the number...