Immediately after Hurricane Katrina the insurance industry seemed sure it would cope.

Hedge funds are squaring up to the fact that the next phase of their development will be more difficult, due to capacity shortages and low returns.

As a new bankruptcy law comes into effect, Daniel Glosband explains how Chapter 15 brings the US closer to UN model law on cross-border cases

Faced with the declining profitability of traditional fixed income, asset managers have sought to beef up their credit teams to enable them to compete in the higher margin world of credit derivatives.

Merger with Belgium's InterBrew last year helped catapult the Brazilian company to the top of the beer industry.

Chairman Raymond Baer describes Julius Baer's deal as truly transformational.

Rusal has grown from scratch in 2000 to become the world's third-largest producer of aluminium.

Wachovia's Ken Thompson wants his firm to be the best financial institution in the US.

Steps along the right path

China Oilfield Services has long lived in the shadow of its illustrious sibling, CNOOC.

With a growing retail DVD business, MGM needed a revamped cash management system to make the most of the cashflows.

A punctured US property bubble is not far down the line as inflationary pressures mount.

Chancellor Brown is breaking the rules he set for himself when prudence is ditched for unfettered spending.

Convertible arbitrage and short-selling have been the cornerstones of hedge fund strategies.

There's plenty of capital available to borrowers at attractive prices.

Companies from emerging markets are on the acquisition trail, and their targets now include firms in North America and Europe.

Yahoo's acquisition of a major stake in Chinese e-commerce business Alibaba looks like another example of a US internet firm muscling its way into a dominant position in China.

After three years of heavy losses, Argentina's banks are once again in the black.

Investment by foreign banks and investors in domestic Chinese banks is not over, but it seems that the recent frenzy of activity has abated, with most of the big deals now signed or at least agreed.

Wreathed in a thick summer smog, it seems that Kuala Lumpur is not so much what tourist ads call "truly Asia" as "truly hazier".

Sustained competition, falling margins and regulatory pressures mean that the world of cash management and payments is heading towards an inflection point.

The $15 billion buyout of the Italian telecoms company by an Egyptian consortium could be the first of many in Europe.