In response to Iran’s non-compliance with the UN over its nuclear programme, and its continued support for terrorist organisations, the US Congress on June 24 passed the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act of 2010 – an amendment to the original Iran Sanctions Act of 1996.

As expected, the act tightened restrictions against Iranian commercial [Read more...]

Technological advances in hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling have resulted in booming gas production from shale deposits in the US.

US gas reserves, once thought due to run out in 30 years, now look sufficient to meet 100 years of demand. While this is good news for the US, as it reduces gas import [Read more...]

With Libyan leader Muammar al Qadhafi stepping up his anti-Western rhetoric, there are growing fears that what Mark Mobius recently called ‘the ideal frontier market’ is turning its back on the reformist experiment it has been pursuing for the last few years. Mark Schaltuper speaks to Liz Martins, Head of Middle East and North Africa [Read more...]

 

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Following the hullabaloo of US President Barack Obama’s whistle stop tour of Asia in November – the focus of which was primarily on China, Japan, the Koreas and South East Asia – it might be logical to assume that Washington-New Delhi relations have fallen down the pecking order of America’s list of foreign policy priorities. [Read more...]

As I have been saying repeatedly in this space, commodity markets continue to look weak across the board, as the outlook for global economic growth deteriorates. Poor US economic data in recent weeks and lower than anticipated growth in the Eurozone (which contracted by 0.2% q-o-q in Q208) helped pull the S&P Goldman Sachs Commodities [Read more...]