More than half of private equity investors have seen their annual net returns from the asset class fall to 10 per cent or less, as the financial crisis has taken its toll says an article in the Financial Times.

MENA FDI inflows in 2008 multiplied 25 times when compared against the average FDI inflows during the 1990’s says a report by Arabia Monitor on MENA Outlook. It further adds that oil at US$50 per barrel will earn the GCC a cumulative US$4.7 trillion in the next 10 years or 2.5x cumulative earnings of the last 14 years.

The Privatization Commission (PC) of Pakistan in association with JP Morgan is in discussions with the investors from the Middle East to divest government stakes in the country's largest lender and biggest oil and gas producer reported Mr. Sarmad Khan of The National. The central aim is to reduce the debt burden of the country which currently

Recent advances in science and medicine make it possible that plenty of children born today may, in fact, live until 120, according to a report in the Times of London.

Three of Dubai's leading real estate developers have pulled out of Cityscape 2009, according to a report in Business 24/7. Understandable in the current economic environment but one wonders how the biggest event in the conference calendar will cope without support from Limitless, Nakheel and Emaar. Is anyone still planning to attend?

It wasn't that long ago when Microsoft was the "good guy".They were known to be cutting edge, youthful and revolutionary. Their founder, Bill Gates, was the only nerd on the planet that everyone wanted to emulate. Fast forward a couple of decades and the same Microsoft is considered to be "too big" and anti competitive.

The World Economic Forum on the Middle East was held in Jordan on May 15th/16th. The event was marked with various key discussion forums for the regional business community. The response to the economic crisis was to put more emphasis on reform rather than intervention by governments.

Over the last 10 years, the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) region, which comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has expanded its GDP by approximately 65% according to a report published by the Economist Intelligence Unit entitled "The GCC in 2020".

A report by the Economist Intelligence Unit entitled “Global economic outlook 2009 – 2010” makes for alarming reading. Its conclusions are many including: