The announcement at the end of August that for the first time the authorities in Saudi Arabia would be letting non-resident foreign investors have access to the shares traded on the country’s stock exchange – albeit only through the medium of “authorised persons” who will actually own the shares on behalf of the overseas investors – heralds a new era in investment opportunities in the Middle East

Japan is the second largest economy in the world, but Europe does more trade with Switzerland. It should open the doors to foreign investors

Neil Hodge mentions the word that no one wants to read: stagflation

Multinational corporations have for years been subject to a blizzard of regulations on the increasingly contentious subject of transfer pricing – the rules relating to the inter-company trading across international borders. In the US alone we have seen a host of regulatory measures. But has it all been a waste of time?

The most worrying thing about the current credit crisis is the overwhelming sense of unknowing: who is going to end up taking the biggest hit? And how long will it last? No one seems to be able to offer a straight answer to either of the questions

The OECD says the cost of avoiding a global environmental catastrophe are affordable, but only if governments around the world act quickly

Companies are investing heavily to improve their internal controls, but is it doing them any good?

The UK used to claim it was at the forefront of efforts to tackle international corruption – not any more

Direct investment is approaching records levels, but which countries are attracting the most money?

A military coup has unsettled investors, but the economic outlook remains positive

Amid concerns about a US slowdown and global political instability, the World Economic Forum is forecasting the highest levels of uncertainty for a decade

World Economic Forum (WEF) questions attitudes to risk management climate change, and emissions trading schemes