II IBC_to press 19/1/09 18:05 Page 1
In next month’s issue of
I nves tme nt
I NTE RNATI ONAL
International finance Sovereign Wealth Funds
Every year, thousands of people leave the UK in search of a As the recession sets in and the availability of bank lending
better life abroad. Better value property, sunshine and the has almost dried up, Sovereign Wealth Funds (‘SWFs’) have
cheaper cost of living are some of the many attractions – but sprung to prominence as a key source of global capital. But
it’s not always that simple. The legal and financial aspects can, many are unaware of what these funds are, who pulls the
and have, caught many people out.Exchanging currency and strings, and how they operate.
moving money is the first thing to consider.
Asia
Mirae Asset Global Investments (“Mirae Asset”), one of Asia’s
Escaping the winter blues abroad
leading asset-management companies, believes that although
The prospect of swapping our traditional wet and windy win-
Asian equity markets have been affected by the global credit
ters for the Costa Brava or a land down under is very appeal-
crunch, the long term outlook for Asia remains strong.
ing. And if you are considering moving overseas, either tem-
According to Mirae Asset, valuations are cheap and investors
porarily or permanently, there are many questions that you
should look to accumulate gradually on market weakness.
will need to address before doing so. Part of this equation is
Among the Asian countries China remains the key focus for
to have the right financial products and services in place
Mirae Asset, with consumer and infrastructure the key sector
before embarking on such a journey. This will provide a firm
focuses.
foundation for your finances.
International mortgages
solutions f
Offshore bonds –
or all seasons
Adrian Wright of International Mortgage Plans, a large inter-
national global mortgage broker with branches in Singapore
The offshore bond market in the UK has proved extremely
resilient over the last year despite the twin challenges of
and Hong Kong, outlines the current state of the market.
extremely difficult investment conditions and changes to
Capital Gains Tax on Open-Ended Investment Companies
(OEICs) in the 2008 Budget. Many investors have shown that
Hedge Funds
they understand that offshore bonds are still a highly appro-
The feature will describe the background to custom House’s
priate investment vehicle for a wide variety of circumstances,
merger with Equity Trust. Who initiated the merger? What
and this article explains the attractions of offshore bonds for
was the rationale behind it?
four specific types of investor.
What are the major differences that have emerged since 2
September 2008?
International healthcare
A ‘background briefing’ on countries worldwide, with an ini-
tial focus on France, Cyprus, Spain and Bulgaria but proceed-
ing to look much further afield. The feature will include
information and comparison of the typical costs for various
medical procedures in each country. Fairly blunt advice about
the wisdom of undergoing surgery in particular countries i.e.
Bulgaria may be cheap but standards may not be as high as
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those in France.
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