Middle East Funds Boost NBNK Hopes With Lloyds Bid-Newspaper

LONDON -(Dow Jones)- Middle East-based sovereign wealth funds including Qatar Holdings and Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Development Company have held talks with NBNK, the U.K. bank bid vehicle which is trying to buy a package of 632 Lloyds Banking Group PLC (LLOY.LN) branches, the Sunday Telegraph reports without citing sources.

China Helps First-Home Buyers as Market Cools: Mortgages

Kevin Xi had no trouble getting a mortgage to buy a 1.53 million yuan ($242,563) one-bedroom apartment in Beijing last month, even as China’s government tries to cool the housing market. He even got a 10 percent reduction on interest.

Russia's Polyus closer to placing stake-sources

MOSCOW, April 25 (Reuters) - Russia's largest gold firm Polyus Gold may be close to pulling the trigger on a share sale to investors worth hundreds of millions of dollars as part of plans for a premium London stock market listing.

China Sovereign-wealth Fund To Get $50 Bln: Report

HONG KONG – China's sovereign-wealth fund, China Investment Corp. (CIC), has received an additional $50 billion in funding from the central government, according to a report Tuesday in the Financial Times.

Sovereign funds urged to invest in developing nations

UN and African officials on Sunday urged sovereign wealth funds (SWF) worth an estimated $5 trillion to invest in developing countries, even as they seek the right climate and demand steps against corruption.

Russia's Bond Market Grows Up

On its face, it seems tempting enough. A big country with a strong desire to become a world financial center that can one day rival Frankfurt is opening up its local government bond market to foreign investors.

Lagarde assures IMF able to boost crisis funds

IMF head Christine Lagarde said Thursday that the crisis lender would get a significant boost to its intervention capacity this week as worries mounted that Spain might be the next eurozone country to seek a rescue.

Bank of America and Morgan Stanley revenues boosted by ECB's LTRO loans

The banks saw trading revenues surge in the first quarter of the year as the wave of cheap, three-year loans that the ECB began in December revived appetite to make bets across a range of asset classes.

Blackstone First-Quarter Profit Falls on Performance Fees

Blackstone Group LP (BX), the world’s largest private-equity firm, said first-quarter profit fell 24 percent as slower gains in the value of its holdings hurt performance fees.

Europe's wealthy families move their fortunes East

Family offices are companies that look after the wealth of rich households who have money tied up in trusts, property, investments and other assets.

Abu Dhabi's Invest AD bets big on Africa

DUBAI (Reuters) - Abu Dhabi-owned fund Invest AD is betting on its range of investment products to tap growth opportunities in fast-growing Africa, a continent which the state-owned investment firm believes is still undervalued for its potential.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde will struggle to bag more funds for a 'firewall'

Global politics and economic theory don’t lend themselves easily to punchlines. But in January this year, Christine Lagarde managed to inject a little light relief into proceedings at the World Economic Forum.

Do global funds live up to their name?

When there's the word "global" in the name of your fund, you'd be forgiven for assuming that it would invest in shares scattered across the world.

Russia may invest wealth fund in economy - Putin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President-elect Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the government should consider investing money held in the larger of its two sovereign wealth funds in regional development and strategic projects.

MF warns of £750bn pensions time bomb

The IMF said yesterday that even a slightly faster than expected increase in life expectancy could impose a huge new financial burden on Western economies such as Britain. “The time to act is now,” it said.

Qatar's sovereign fund takes 5pc slice of Xstrata

The move, which has angered some of Xstrata's shareholders, sees Qatar overtake Standard Life and Legal & General to become the third biggest investor after Glencore (33.6pc) and Blackrock (5.43pc).

China Hedge Fund Credence to Boost Stocks on QFII Quota

Credence Oriental Trade Enterprise Ltd. (CRDOTPL), a China hedge fund that has beaten 98 percent of its rivals, will boost its Chinese stock holdings on the prospect of economic expansion and increased equity purchases by foreigners.

Iran oil development fund could reach $55 billion: Ahmedinejad

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday the country's sovereign wealth fund could reach $55 billion by March next year if oil prices kept high, in an apparent bid to defend his economic record in the face of increasing isolation.

Euro dips, bonds rise on euro zone worries

NEW YORK (Reuters) -The euro hit a three-week low against the dollar and bonds edged higher on Thursday as Spain's debt burden fueled worries about further problems for euro zone economies and curtailed investors' appetite for riskier assets.

Pensions Find Riskier Funds Fail to Pay Off

Searching for higher returns to bridge looming shortfalls, public workers’ pension funds across the country are increasingly turning to riskier investments in private equity, real estate and hedge funds.

DBS Group to Buy Bank Danamon for $7.2 Billion

DBS Group Holdings of Singapore agreed on Monday to buy Bank Danamon of Indonesia for $7.2 billion in one of the largest ever takeovers in Southeast Asia’s financial services industry.

Global economy week ahead: Looking for takeoff in US jobs

WASHINGTON: Sorting out trends in the US labor market is tricky business these days. There is plenty of evidence to support the view that unemployment is stalled at 8.3 percent for much of the year, and a case to argue that job growth is poised for takeoff.

Drake & Scull to Bid for Abu Dhabi Louvre as Projects Resume

Drake & Scull International PJSC (DSI), a Dubai-based construction company, plans to bid for construction work on the Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi as the Persian Gulf emirate resumes work on suspended projects.

Former RBS trader Tan Chi Min claims hedge fund asked UK bank to change Libor

One of Europe's largest hedge funds is alleged to have asked Royal Bank of Scotland to alter the London interbank borrowing rate (Libor) five years ago, according to a court filing by a former trader at the lender.