President Barack Obama declared that a "new era of energy exploration in America" would be a crucial to leading the nation out of an economic crisis. Obama went on to say, "Now, the choice we face is not between saving our environment and saving our economy, the choice we face is between prosperity and decline. We can remain the world's leading importer of oil, or we can become the world's leading exporter of clean energy."

The Emerging Markets (EMs) Private Equity Survey is conducted by the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association on an annual basis. The survey researches the investment patterns, likes and dislikes of Limited Partners, representing North America (47%), Europe (41%) and Rest of the World (12%), for investment flows into the Emerging Markets.

HSBC monitors business confidence in the GCC region with its Business Confidence Index. The quarterly index polls executives and professionals from across the GCC region and is a good barometer of business attitudes. The latest index, out in March 2009, indicates a worsening of business confidence, albeit at a decreasing rate.

The AIM market has seen a dramatic change of fortune as the global financial crisis has unfolded since 2008.In the last year the AIM index dropped almost 70% and in the process wiping £50bn-£60bn of the total market cap of AIM listed companies. The Financial Times recently reported that there is now a growing move towards delisting which is a controversial issue.

Private Equity is well positioned in these difficult times to capitalize on lower valuations and provide much needed liquidity when funding is scarce but growth still anticipated. This is according to the 2008 annual report by Gulf Venture Capital Association (GCVA)