Wall Street ends lower after Fed statement

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve said in its latest statement that economic growth had stalled but indicated the pullback was likely temporary.

Singapore's GIC invests in $1.6 bln UK property fund

LONDON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Singapore's sovereign wealth fund has backed a 1 billion pound ($1.6 billion) lending programme for British offices, shops and warehouse property that could bring much-needed funds into a debt-starved sector.

China to build Free Trade Zone in Shanghai

BEIJING: China has announced plans to set up a pilot free trade zone (FTZ) this year in Shanghai's Pudong New Area, the booming city's financial and commercial hub.

Double-Decker Funds Grow Most in 10 Months in December on Real

Japanese funds that pair investments in high-yield debt and foreign exchange grew the most in 10 months in December after a rally in the Brazilian real, the most-used currency for the products.

Davos 2013: Fight complacency on fixing economies, says OECD chief

DAVOS: One economic expert at Davos says there's no rest for the weary: governments must not back off from making unpopular reforms that will help their economies grow faster.

Yen decline could spark currency war -Kuwait wealth fund

KUWAIT, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The decline of the yen could spark a currency war in southeast Asia, Badr al-Saad, the head of Kuwait's sovereign wealth fund, said in comments aired on Saturday.

RBI relaxes foreign investment rules in debt markets

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The RBI on Thursday relaxed some of the rules for foreign institutional investors (FIIs) buying into domestic debt as part of the government's long-expected $10 billion increase in corporate and government debt limits.

2013 World Economic Forum: Falling CEO confidence sets scene for anxious Davos

DAVOS: Chief executives are less optimistic about short-term growth prospects for their companies than a year ago, according to a survey that offers a reality check on rising stock markets.

European buyout firms face struggle to exit deals

LONDON: European private equity firms will struggle to find profitable ways to exit their boom-time deals, as the industry's traditional exit routes remain largely shut, a report said.

World’s Cheapest Oil Crimps Alberta Budget With Price Gap

Alberta, Canada’s wealthiest province, will issue more debt and dip into savings to overcome reduced revenue tied to the price gap between the oil it produces and world crude prices.

Kuwait's China investment quota boosted to $1 bln -KUNA

KUWAIT, Jan 20 (Reuters) - China's foreign exchange regulator has increased the amount which Kuwait's sovereign wealth fund can invest directly in the Chinese securities markets to $1 billion, state news agency KUNA reported on Sunday.

Analysis: Budget constraints limit Obama's second-term agenda

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama starts his second term in office facing unprecedented budget constraints that will challenge his ability to implement his economic vision.

Sovereign Funds’ Spending Rebounds in Quarter, Institute Says

Sovereign wealth funds’ direct investments picked up in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, signaling a rebound after spending dropped to a six-year low in 2012, the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute said.

China's Sovereign Wealth Fund in Big Turnaround

China Investment Corporation (CIC), the world's biggest sovereign wealth investor said 2012 was a much better year for the $482-billion fund, with returns of over 10 percent.

Saudi Arabia Set to Expand Solar Energy Development, Buys Stake in Utility ACWA Power

DUBAI -- Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund Sanabil and the nation's pension agency acquired 19 percent of ACWA Power International, a company that invests in power and water projects in the kingdom and regionally.

Kuwait wealth fund had $261 billion assets in March 2012: paper

KUWAIT (Reuters) - A rainy day fund managed by Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) had assets currently worth more than $261 billion at the end of March last year, a local newspaper reported on Sunday citing a government audit.

Goldman's investment arm says bank stocks are top pick for 2013

Goldman Sachs Group Inc's investment-management arm is telling clients that the best place to put their money this year is in stocks of U.S. banks, even after their recent run-up.

Greek deficit improves but jobless rate soars

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's coalition government on Thursday reported a steep drop in the budget deficit in 2012, but unemployment rose again at an alarming rate as state spending cuts continued to hurt the economy and erode living standards.

Slow China IPO market limits private equity exits

China's stalled market for new share listings is severely limiting the ability of private equity funds to cash out their investments in the country, according to a new research report from China First Capital.

Hotel Deals Forecast to Rise in ’13 on Debt Availability

Hotel deal volume probably will rise to $32 billion globally this year as sovereign-wealth investors, mutual funds and insurance companies provide the most debt for transactions since 2007, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels said.

China fund mulls buying stake in Daimler: Report

SHANGHAI: China's sovereign wealth fund is considering buying a four to 10 percent stake in German automaker Daimler, the website of the official People's Daily newspaper said at the weekend.

Weak loan data highlight euro zone economic woes

FRANKFURT: Loans to companies in the euro zone extended their fall in November, underlining the bloc's economic weakness and increasing pressure on the European Central Bank to cut interest rates further.

Gold Seen Rallying From Worst Streak in Eight Years: Commodities

Gold traders expect prices to rebound from the longest weekly losing streak in eight years as mounting concern that U.S. lawmakers are doing too little to control the budget deficit spurs demand for a protection of wealth.

US fiscal deal could spell trouble for Asia's investment winners

HONG KONG: A resolution to the US fiscal cliff crisis, messy and protracted as it was, provided an immediate boost for financial markets but longer term could spell trouble for some Asian assets that are coming off a stellar 2012.

Global banks rethink Middle East model as deals slump

DUBAI (Reuters) - When U.S. banking giant Citigroup Inc moved one of its top bankers, Alberto Verme, to Dubai in 2008, it was a sign of international banks' ambitions to tap economic growth in the oil-rich region.

Rising middle class brings retail boom to Russia

MOSCOW — Shoppers who find that 250 stores aren't enough can go ice skating, watch movies or even ride a carousel, all under a single roof. While it sounds like the Mall of America, this mall is outside Moscow, not Minneapolis.