In The News

US Mortgage Crisis Hits Pacific Rim Markets

Carter Dougherty August 7, 2007
Lured by low adjustable-interest rates, US homeowners bought larger homes than many could afford. Mortgage companies bundled those loans into bond packages, selling them to investors worldwide. But the credit was too easy, and wages are stagnant for many. For homeowners who can’t handle automatic rate increases, loans go into default. Trying to sell homes and escape the trap, homeowners discover...

Global Hot Spots

Adrienne Selko August 2, 2007
Success in strategic sourcing requires finding the global hot spots first. Getting established in a budding community builds connections and provides early access to eager workers. Goals for foreign investment vary immensely around the globe. Kenya is particular, wanting firms that will contribute to innovation; Vietnam extends its welcome to all sectors, especially those that contribute to...

US Pledges $20 Billion in Arms to Middle East

Robin Wright July 30, 2007
The US announced plans to sell billions of dollars worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, as well as to renew arms deals with Egypt, Israel and other allies. Goals behind the US plan include strengthening ties with allies and countering Iran’s growing influence in the region. However, some allies express concerns about more weapons flowing into the volatile region. Analysts point out that some...

Globalization Study Moves Past Rhetoric

David Wessel July 27, 2007
Corporations have long insisted that globalization delivers prosperity. But a report commissioned by the Financial Services Forum, an association of CEOs of 20 major financial firms, admits that most benefits have gone to a select few. International operations increasingly account for most sales and business conducted by multinational firms, writes David Wessel for the Wall Street Journal. But...

Haves and Have-Nots of Globalization

William J. Holstein July 20, 2007
US companies that move part of their operations abroad continue to report big financial gains. Defense contractors like United Technologies, for example, report a spike in foreign sales and increased stock prices. Increasing numbers of multinational companies based in the US – including United Technologies, PepsiCo and Honeywell International – report that a majority of their sales are in foreign...

Britain and Russia to Minimize Economic Fallout

Mark Tran July 18, 2007
Great Britain expelled four Russian diplomats, after Russia refused to hand over a suspect, a former KGB agent, in the radioactive poisoning death of Alexander Litvinenko. Both countries claim that they do not want to harm overall relations. British investors and firms value the Russian market, and Russia contributes to international diplomatic efforts, for example, preventing nuclear ambitions...

Debtor Nation

Jonathan Shaw July 6, 2007
Americans continue to buy only because they easily borrow from abroad. For now, the cost of borrowing is low, as countries buy low-interest US Treasury bills and bonds. Why foreign lenders send the US money in exchange for low interest rates is a “profound question,” suggests Professor Lawrence Summers. He and other Harvard professors analyze the sustainability of such lending, borrowing and...