What would you do if you had the money?

January 4th, 2010 by admin
  • If you have $500 burning a hole in your pocket, FORTUNE has assembled some great possibilities for a splurge — some indulgent, some great deals, and some … unexpected.
  • Gt Steamed! The Krups XP5080 makes life easy for latte lovers. $450
  • Step Out True, you can clad only one of your feet for $500, but lovingly handcrafted shoes from Italian artisan bootmaker Berluti are well worth the splurge. $980
  • Mentionable, A bit over $500, but so worth it: Gift her with La Perla’s glittering Collier bra. $528
  • Travel in Style. Keep papers handy with a sleek travel wallet from Smythson of Bond Street. $460
  • Say Cheese! For $500, Canon’s PowerShot S80 is our favorite digital bet.

Get the emergency loans you need!

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Arcelor Mittal $750mn convertible bond issues

January 3rd, 2010 by admin

Global steel giant Arcelor Mittal said that the $ 750 million (Rs 3,500 crore through issue of convertible bonds) has been raised by its wholly-owned arm based in Luxembourg.For income from bonds and the Turkish Eregli Demir Celik Fabrikalari and MacArthur Coal Ltd. of Australia, both of which are held by subsidiaries of ArcelorMittal shares will be helped by investment funds associated note.Bond’s Caylon Personally, an investment affiliate of Luxembourg - has been with Credit Agricole banking subsidiary.“Bond 17-month maturity and would ArcelorMittal says it in the first year of maturity,” the company said in a statement to be eligible.The company said that in consultation with investment bankers Assistant also can invest in other financial instruments.“Arcelor Mittal’s no intention of selling his stake in Erdemir or MacArthur’s,” the statement added.Arcelor Mittal’s consolidated financial statements, the mandatory convertible bonds are recorded as minority interest and credit is likely, the company said.

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Park Inn Hotels two new hotel group Rezidor to expand its portfolio

December 30th, 2009 by admin

Rezidor, the fastest growing hotel companies in the world of a group of hotels, with the addition of two new portfolio expanded PARK INN Hotel: PARK INN Luxembourg City is scheduled to open in 2010 Q4 and the first Park Inn in Nigeria Abeokuta be welcome guests in 2010 Q4.

PARK INN City Center in Luxembourg city, Luxembourg enjoys a prominent place (high speed train which is linked by 30 cities and gateway for visitors majority Luxembourg). One of the most important retail streets of the city located in central and easy to use hotel will have great visibility. Than 99 colorful guest rooms, a restaurant and bar to create new property will offer, meeting room, fitness room and parking.

Luxembourg is located in the heart of Europe has a population that is among the wealthiest in the world and thanks to sustained economic growth, was an increase in high skilled migrant workers. Luxembourg also hosts several major European Union institutions, the European Court of Justice, European Court of Auditors and European Investment Bank is also involved.Luxembourg also a new Rezidor marks a milestone, the 60th, where the company is present being used by the country.

PARK INN Abeokuta Nigeria’s recent signings Rezidor made in emerging markets - the group already developed in the capital city hotel in Abuja and Lagos are. City’s current “Gateway Hotels’ totally 173 guest rooms, a bar and grill sign RBG, a ballroom and meeting hall, a swimming pool, gym and shops including a modern Park Inn property with space to be renovated.

“This further underscores signings and our dynamic mid market brand Park Inn ‘ambitious growth rate of strengthening, Kurt Ritter, Rezidor’s President and CEO commented.” Launched in early 2003 PARK INN today more than 24.500 rooms in operation and under development across Europe, Middle East and Africa

with more than 130 hotels are included. “

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Arcelor Mittal 750mn $ convertible bond issues

December 29th, 2009 by admin

Global steel giant Arcelor Mittal said on Tuesday that the $ 750 million (Rs 3,500 crore through issue of convertible bonds) has been raised by

Its wholly-owned arm based in Luxembourg.

For income from bonds and the Turkish Eregli Demir Celik Fabrikalari and MacArthur Coal Ltd. of Australia, both of which are held by subsidiaries of ArcelorMittal shares will be helped by investment funds associated note.

Bond’s Caylon Personally, an investment affiliate of Luxembourg - has been with Credit Agricole banking subsidiary.

“Bond 17-month maturity and would ArcelorMittal says it in the first year of maturity,” the company said in a statement to be eligible.

The company said that in consultation with investment bankers Assistant also can invest in other financial instruments.

“Arcelor Mittal’s no intention of selling his stake in Erdemir or MacArthur’s,” the statement added.

Arcelor Mittal’s consolidated financial statements, the mandatory convertible bonds are recorded as minority interest and credit is likely, the company said.

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GB shooters impressed in Luxembourg

December 27th, 2009 by admin

Featured competent body in competition with Britain shooters just as they enter the country shooters Disabilities 2010 season are ready. Stilton-based Paralympic champion Matt Skelhon based world record in the R3 10m air rifle prone match category.Shooting a perfect 600 in James Bevis R5 done by category.
After a personal best in the R4 with a score of 600 and 595 went to register 10m air rifle standing. Kent is placed in the top performing some Nathan Milgate and score 600 out of 599 registered in the R3 10m air rifle prone.
There were also international airports 10m personal bests Mandy Pankhurst, Karen Butler, Adam and Richard Davies for the rifle stood Fontain Fontain 10m air Pankhurst and done and Andy Gardiner Guild Rifle Prone and gene achieved in the 10m air pistol events.
Team’s head coach Pasan Kularatne said: “I really GB team’s overall performance and particularly the international private registered two perfect scores and bests, which is equal world record’m happy with. “The competition for the athletes a great opportunity before the 2010 season was to gain significant international competition experience.”
Paralympic champion Matt Skelhon based world record in the R3 10m air rifle prone match category.
Shooting a perfect 600 in James Bevis R5 done by category.
After a personal best in the R4 with a score of 600 and 595 went to register 10m air rifle standing.
Kent is placed in the top performing some Nathan Milgate and score 600 out of 599 registered in the R3 10m air rifle prone.
There were also international airports 10m personal bests Mandy Pankhurst, Karen Butler, Adam and Richard Davies for the rifle stood Fontain Fontain 10m air Pankhurst and done and Andy Gardiner Guild Rifle Prone and gene achieved in the 10m air pistol events.
Team’s head coach Pasan Kularatne said: “I really GB team’s overall performance and particularly the international private registered two perfect scores and bests, which is equal world record’m happy with.
“The competition for the athletes a great opportunity before the 2010 season was to gain significant international competition experience.”

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Fight to save historic Battle of the Bulge - Barracks

December 26th, 2009 by admin

The struggle is to save the historic headquarters of military Bastogne in the Belgian Ardennes end. According to the Telegraph, the campaign follows the decision of the government to close 23 barracks across the country in 2011, including the so-called “Heinz headquarters in Bastogne where the U.S. General Anthony McAuliffe had his headquarters during the famous Battle of the Bulge in 1944.

The announcement by Defense Minister Pieter de Crem has provoked a storm of protest from the U.S. and British war veterans and many others living in Belgium.

A group of veterans has written to Howard Gutman, appointed new U.S. ambassador to Belgium, appealing to him to intervene and help stop the closure.

The barracks is home to the Belgian 1st Artillery Regiment, currently deployed in Afghanistan, and also houses a small museum dedicated to the slaughter of U.S. and British troops.

The Battle of the Bulge has a special meaning for the Allied war veterans, which is seen as a turning point in WW2.

Since December 16, 1944 until January 25, 1945, snow cover Bastogne was surrounded by German troops and appeared headed to capitulate.

In the small town deep in the forest of Ardennes near the Luxembourg border, thousands of U.S. soldiers, including the 101st Airborne Division, commanded by McAuliffe, whose seat was in the basement of the barracks and assigned for closure.

It was from here on 22 December 1944 that the German commander Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz McAuliffe sent a note demanding the release of Americans, which famous McAuliffe sent a terse reply, saying: “Nuts!”

The German offensive and ended in failure, with more than 19,000 deaths, the Battle of the Bulge became the single biggest and bloodiest battle U.S. forces with experience in WW2.

Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery later said the battle was “one of the hardest I’ve managed” and, addressing the House of Commons, Winston Churchill described him as “undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war. ”

Barracks Museum has been in recent years by two retired soldiers Belgian Marecaux Eric and Michel Lemoine, and guided tours are very popular, especially among U.S. and visiting British tourists and veterans who are attracted to the area because of its history.

A government official Belgian Defense Department defended the decision to close the barracks, saying he “had not been taken lightly.”

He said its possible conversion into a prison to help tackle an acute shortage of prison places in the country.

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Review of fund: Investec GSF Global Franchise Fund

December 25th, 2009 by admin

Shai Patel, co-founder of the financial advisory firm Generation Financial Services, gives his verdict on the Investec GSF Global Franchise Fund.This fund domiciled in Luxembourg, aims to achieve long-term benefits by investing in a concentrated global portfolio of 20 to 45 high-quality companies selected for the quality and value of their franchises, and are attractively valued in the market.Companies in which the fund seeks to invest the assets tend to have dominant “intangibles” such as strong brands, patents, licensing and copyright, and are well positioned in stable or growing industries with high barriers to entry and low intensity capital.These features may offer investors good returns over the long term with less volatility than absolute average.Shai Patel says:The Franchise Investec Global Fund - the rebranding of the Investec Global Select Equity Fund - is run by Sam Houli, head of equities for South Africa, and although the fund is not restricted to any point of reference, you can invest in companies of any size, sector and location.The objective is to outperform the MSCI World Index. In general, the primary focus of this fund is to invest in companies of the highest quality, with strong global brands and franchises. Although the brochure confirms the “go anywhere” status of the fund, its objectives suggest that a natural tendency to be very large firms, with headquarters in the West, companies with high barriers to entry, such as Nestle, Procter & Gamble and Heineken. Because many of these companies are beginning to find more difficult to increase the incomes of their Western naturalized markets, which will be very dependent on emerging markets to increase sales figures in the coming years.However, this competition has been good opportunities in the past nine months, as the concentration of capital since March has been driven largely by lower quality stocks, resulting in a valuation gap with respect to stocks of higher perception of quality, and in the last couple of months the fund bias to these large, quality companies have seen the tide in his favor.Investors have begun to lower debt ratios, cash-generating businesses, and it is also possible that this trend could continue in the coming months as the news emanating from the problems in Dubai, and reports indicate a tough year for markets global equity and economies in 2010.Given the objectives and the subsequent large bias of the CAP, the fund should be pretty defensive (66 percent is spent on consumer goods and 16 percent in health care) would fit perfectly in a portfolio of low risk providing strong elements of diversification and where the intention is to invest in long-term growth.As suggested by past performance, while the background always follow the movements of the general stock market, needs to overcome in relation to a bear market, but lag by a strong rally.

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Germany, Luxembourg Sign Agreement on Tax Information Exchange

December 24th, 2009 by admin

 Finance ministers from Germany and Luxembourg, on Friday signed an agreement designed to help authorities fight tax evasion, the German Finance Ministry said in a statement.The deal, which comes into force in 2010, provides that the two countries should provide relevant information about the contributors to the authorities of another country when requested, said in a statement.”The application does not mean that tax evasion has already been determined,” the Ministry of Finance.”It only takes a situation that must be explained and that the requested information and documents will be considered for tax purposes.

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Madoff case to test the rules of the Luxembourg fund

December 24th, 2009 by admin

The drive to attract alternative investment vehicles like hedge funds and registered funds accessible to investors across Europe will also depend on how the Luxembourg financial regulator confirms the rules on investor protection. “It is very important (Luxembourg) rules are applied from an investor standpoint. Some sophisticated investors rely on this,” said Dermot Butler, chairman of Ireland-based fund manager at Custom House Group. The dispute Madoff innovation is key to evaluating whether the standards of Luxembourg protect investors “not only fraud, but against the sloppy work, negligence and costly mistakes,” Butler said. The dispute centers on the role of custodian banks UBS and HSBC, which act as repositories of the Luxembourg-based funds LuxInvest and feeding LuxAlpha which lost more than $ 2 billion to fraud Madoff. A court case scheduled test in early 2010 will determine whether investors can sue UBS custodian directly for losses incurred. Claims may also be made by the trustees of funds, the attorneys said. Lawyers representing investors say UBS, which created the fund was, as custodian, responsible for the security of assets. UBS counters that the funds were created at the behest of investors specifically for feeding Madoff funds, and that investors knew the assets were held by signing Madoff Securities, and signed a waiver to the elimination of liability UBS. Luxembourg’s financial regulator, the CSSF has said repeatedly that the Community rules on the responsibilities of custody oblige banks deposit at all times to know how the assets are invested and where and how they are available. “This responsibility is not affected by the fact that the depositary has entrusted to a third party all or part of the assets in its custody,” the CSSF in a statement earlier this year. THREAT TO LUXEMBOURG Disgruntled investors have complained that the standards of investor protection are not being respected in Luxembourg. “When we now look what has happened with this case very strongly Madoff feel cheated,” said Luc Schaack, defense attorney for the group’s shareholders Deminor, which is acting for some investors who lost money to Madoff. “They think that Luxembourg is not a safe place to put money because despite all the legal guarantees, nothing has happened in order to put enough pressure on UBS to recover their money,” Schaack said. Players in Luxembourg 1.7 trillion fund industry euros say any decision is welcome, provided that adds clarity to the investment landscape in Luxembourg. “If malpractice is judged UBS as custodian, people will protect investors in Luxembourg is solid and the rules apply to everybody,” said Martin Kloeck, Zurich-based partner Signina capital asset manager, who has just register one of its funds in Luxembourg. “If the bank is exonerated, it will be because it created the fund, which was not publicly available, at your request.” Asset managers and service providers such as custodian banks, auditors and fund managers also want clarity on their legal obligations to holders of the funds Luxalpha regulated as UBS, which led to a UCITS label conforming. The EU directives known as UCITS are designed to protect retail investors by establishing strict rules for investment funds open to the public. “If the law is strictly enforced then the responsibility is clear,” said Marc Clapasson, managing director of Millennium Global is a Guernsey-based $ 14 billion alternative asset manager that you are registering a number of funds in Luxembourg. The wrongs “But it’s hard to judge. Madoff was an exceptional case which involved a lot of experienced investors, and a lot of people, not just the custodians. The story is much more complex,” said Clapasson . Investors are also demanding that the auditor Ernst & Young for damages in one of the funds involved. The directors may also be liable for damages. A ruling against UBS may also ultimately increase the costs of custody, as the highest level of risk for service providers would increase insurance costs and the results could be extended in the enforcement of rights and expensive, makes this less attractive business in Luxembourg. “It could change the whole industry. Would custodians take that risk for a few basis points of assets? If the trustees have a greater burden of responsibility and risk, is likely to have to ask for higher rates,” said Tushar Patel , chief investment officer HFIM, London-based fund of funds.

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Luxembourg bank from selling the unit to Macquarie

December 24th, 2009 by admin

The Luxembourg-based investment bank Sal Oppenheim, said Wednesday it had sold its equity trading and derivatives business to Australian bank Macquarie. Oppenheim, who in turn acquired by Deutsche Bank, no financial details, but according to Financial Times Deutschland, Macquarie would pay around 50 million euros (70 million) for the device. Over 90 employees will be transferred to Macquarie Oppenheim as part of the deal expected to close early in the second quarter of 2010, “said the statement. Macquarie have “access to a new range of products, a platform-art technology and high-class employees with extensive knowledge of domestic markets, from Macquarie director Mark Gilbert, said in a statement the company. A derivative is a financial instrument that derives its real value, or receive some good or trading in securities and Oppenheim in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy. Deutsche Bank is the purchase of Oppenheim around one billion euros (1.42 million), and Oppenheim, said Tuesday that Deutsche Bank executive Wilhelm von Haller to be his new boss. Germany’s biggest bank is not interested in derivatives activities Oppenheim, however, but rather in private, the Luxembourg bank impressive portfolio of assets under management, worth about 60 billion euros, analysts said. The future of the Oppenheim-mergers and acquisitions advisory work in financial markets remains uncertain, meanwhile, with the latter responsible for a large part of the bank’s recent financial problems. He bought, in particular, a large proportion of the German retail group Arcand, who has declared bankruptcy. The option also remains open in connection with the Frankfurt-based BHF-Bank Oppenheim, who purchased in 2005 to 600 million euros.

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About Luxembourg

Luxembourg lies on the cultural divide between Romance Europe and Germanic Europe, borrowing customs from each of the distinct traditions. Luxembourg is a trilingual country; French, German, and Luxembourgish are official languages. Although a secular state, Luxembourg is predominantly Roman Catholic.