China Architectural Engineering Inc. (CAEI) posted a net loss of 16 cents per share for the third quarter, compared to a net profit of 18 cents in the prior-year period. The net loss in the quarter can be attributed to lower contract revenue, adjustment to estimated gross revenue of the Dubai Metro project, and increase in raw material and overhead costs. Full loss provision of the project in Doha, and losses from the discontinued construction works in the closed Shenzhen office also contributed to the earnings disappointment in the quarter.   Quarterly revenues of $25.6 million were down 54% year over year primarily due to the Dubai Metro dispute. The company said that its dispute with the master contractor of the Metro Red Line Project in Dubai, led to an adjustment to estimated gross revenue of the project, and resulted in lower recognized revenue in the quarter from ...

World leader in the telecom information and logistics sector, Global Capacity, Inc. (GC) announced this morning the launch of a new, global tariff pricing system, GCPrice.

GCPrice will give direct access to GC’s massive database of prices and logistical information, allowing customers to scope and range telecom tariffs for Leased Line and Ethernet services in a real-time, high fidelity data environment. This database represents 75 carriers in 67 different countries, inputting over 5,000 discrete tariffs. With geographic and telecom location data points in excess of 10 million, this database represents the most comprehensive quotation development and point-of-sale information aggregating resource available online, capable of generating detailed reports for GC’s customers.

GC has a great deal of experience crafting integrated supply chain management systems and managing complex distributed data architectures, and offers its customers a one-stop-shop approach to telecom information and logistics. This Chicago, IL- based company has operating centers worldwide to

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Qatar is a red-hot economy. Last year it grew around 18% and this year it ought to grow another 16%. We saw the headlines in the Gulf Times in the lounge while waiting for our transfer to Dubai.

Qatar’s greatest asset is its natural gas reserves. In fact, the largest gas field in the world is here. Its discoverers were disappointed when they found it in 1971. They were looking for oil.

The boom Qatar now enjoys is the result of some daring investments in liquefied natural gas (LNG) back when people thought doing such a thing was a little batty. Faisal Al Suwaidi, the head of Qatargas, deserves the props for his wager, which have paid off handsomely. Today, Qatar produces about one-quarter of the world’s natural gas.

Qatar supplies such faraway customers as Japan, India and China. Qatargas also operates the largest LNG terminal in Europe at South Hook on

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The Permanent Wealth Investorassembles high-yeilding dividend stocks, profit plays on gold and specially designated “Alpha Bull Dog” stocks into high-income/high-return portfolios for subscribers. Hutchinson’s strategy is tailor-made for periods of market uncertainty, during which investors all too often go completely to cash – only to miss some of the biggest market returns in history when market sentiment turns positive. But it can work in virtually every market environment.

To find out about this strategy – or Hutchinson’s new service, …

[Editor's Note: When it comes to global investing, longtime market guru Martin Hutchinson is one of the very best - because he knows the markets firsthand. After years of advising government finance ministers, crafting deals with global investment banks, and analyzing the world's financial markets, Hutchinson has used his creative insights to create a trading service for savvy investors.

The Permanent Wealth Investorassembles high-yeilding dividend stocks, profit plays on gold and specially designated “Alpha Bull Dog” stocks into high-income/high-return portfolios for subscribers. Hutchinson’s strategy is tailor-made for periods of market uncertainty, during which investors all too often go completely to cash – only to miss some of the biggest market returns in history when market sentiment turns positive. But it can work in virtually every market environment.

To find out about this strategy – or Hutchinson’s new service, …

From Arnold Kling's entry yesterday:

Kwak goes on to endorse Chinn's ideological rant that the Bush tax cuts caused the financial crisis. Yes, I know that Chinn is speaking in the tone of economic analysis rather than a rant, but only a left-wing ideologue would take the thesis seriously. I bet Kwak cannot find a blog post of Chinn's where he made a policy point against Democrats/liberals or for Republicans/conservatives.

Where Kling is responding to James Kwak's assertion: "[Menzie] Chinn is not given to ideological ranting." (Thanks, James).

I don't find it very profitable to characterize anybody's posts as "rants", but I thought it useful to see what the definition is:

A rant or harangue is a speech or text that does not present a well-researched and calm argument; rather, it is typically an attack on an idea, a person or an institution, and very often lacks proven claims. Such attacks

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China Architectural Engineering Inc. (CAEI) entered into an agreement with Shanghai Nine Dragon Co. Ltd. to undertake major projects located in the Nine Dragon Resort, Zhejiang, including a seven-star hotel, a marine park and luxurious villas. The projects, the combined value of which is expected to exceed $500 million, are expected to commence in the second half of 2009 and completed within three years.

This apart, CAEI is working on the Dubai Metro System as well as other projects in the U.S. and Doha, which will be completed by the end of 2009. The company is also bidding for major contracts on a new rapid transit system in Doha and on the next phase of the Dubai Metro. The company's international expansion strategy would help it to diversify geographically and accelerate future growth.

In the domestic market, the company expects to capitalize on the stimulus package of

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WWA Group, Inc. announced the conclusion of the May 26, 2009 auction of US military equipment in Doha, Qatar. This is WWA Group’s second US Military equipment auction in Qatar for Trident Kuwait, an established US Military contractor. The company hopes to increase activity throughout the Gulf region for the US government and their contractors as the auctions continue.

Eric Montandon, WWA Group CEO, stated, “The buyer turnout was good, and the sale prices were better than expected. We look forward to working with Trident and the US military on similar disposals in the future, and increasing the level of our involvement. With WWA managing disposals, and our equity subsidiary Intelspec International managing construction contracts for the US military, we expect our growing relationship with this very solid client to lead to more business in the future.”

Actual sale prices and equipment listings are published daily at www.ironauctions.com. Member registration is

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According to Trade Arabia, a news source, the Qatar construction sector is poised to grow by 17.6% YOY in 2009, as “gas revenues continue to provide the country with ample funds to re-invest into infrastructure development and construction projects.”

A byproduct of this trend will be a “spillover” into the country’s real estate market, which contributes roughly 10% to Qatar’s GDP, theorizes Muteab Al-Sa’aq, chairman of Trance Continent, a trade-show organization.

In addition to housing units and public installations, Qatar has also seen growth in office space market due to increased demand among global oil and gas companies, the banking and financial services sector, and government ministries and agencies, [Al-Sa’aq] pointed out. Growing tourism has also prompted Qatar to invest in the development of hotels and resorts, with figures released by the Qatar Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (QTEA) estimating a total investment of $17 billion into tourism infrastructure to

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As governments around the world fight rising unemployment, falling exports and bank credit crunch, and several central banks are facing liquidity traps, many are turning to restrictions that privilege national producers. These populist measures attempt to minimize growth impact, social unrest and pain from the credit crunch that poses a risk to several ruling governments, especially those facing elections soon. Furthermore, some officials hope that such restrictions will reduce the leakage of the scarce funds used in bank bailouts and fiscal stimulus to other countries.

But as history shows, the impacts of trade protectionism on exports and job creation if any are small in the short-term and instead may lead to global retaliation, and in the long-term result in inefficient allocation of labor and capital and trade distortions, affecting potential

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