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Herd mentality, short-term vision grip our stock market
Vincent Lingga, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The capital market management and regulator made the right decision Wednesday to halt share trading here after the benchmark index plunged by another 10 percent to close at 1,451 points, because that development was indeed rooted in an irrational market mechanism.
Letting the stock market (IDX) continue operating in such a chaotic situation would be like allowing a few rice sellers to freely set the price of the staple amid a massive, nationwide famine.
Stocks in such blue-chip companies as telecommunications firm Indosat, coal producer Adaro and automobile and plantations group Astra International should not have plunged between 19 and 23 percent Wednesday, had it not been for a herd mentality on the part of domestic retail and institutional investors.
NOTE: PLUNG IN THE STOCKMARKET TO TO ECONOMIC PLUNGE.
The long-term outlook for telecommunications and our natural-resource-based companies remains bright and promising. Even though the prices of most primary commodities such as coal, palm oil and rubber have of late fallen steeply, they remain way above their 2006 levels.
The recent downward trend was even good for long-term stability, because the skyrocketing prices during the first semester were partly fueled by speculative sentiment. These prices are now seeking a new equilibrium.
Our domestic investor base should have been broad and diverse enough to shield the IDX from the abrupt changes in international investor sentiment.
The growing role of domestic institutional investors such as pensions funds, mutual funds and insurance companies should have contributed to broadening and diversifying the pool of investment in equities.
The long-term horizon of these institutional investors should have played a stabilizing role in our stock market. Basically, a diverse investor base, in relation to investment horizons and risk appetite, can contribute to financial stability by spreading risks more widely.
But as Wednesday's irrational market development showed, most domestic investor behavior was still controlled by a herd mentality, toeing the move of foreign portfolio investors.
What are the main determinants of share prices?
One of them is global factors, such as international liquidity and credit and market risk premiums. True, these factors are now all negative, as the impact of the financial crisis and panic in the United States and Europe sets in.
However, the strongest determinants of our equity prices -- the domestic or fundamental factors such as economic growth, the differential between domestic and global interest rates, the expected forward exchange rate, the inflation differentials -- remain fairly positive.
In fact, after Bank Indonesia's move on Tuesday to raise its benchmark interest rate by another 25 basis points to 9.50 percent, our interest rate differential with the U.S. Fed funds became 8 percentage points.
NOTE: BANK OF INDONESIA IS ONE OF THE TOP BANKS IN ASIA.
I don't think the amount of foreign portfolio money still playing in our stock market remained at such a level because it was still able to heavily influence the market trend.
Most of this hot money had flown out a few weeks ago as these skittish investors became highly risk-averse and tended to generalize things.
The steep fall in our stock market Wednesday was therefore exacerbated by the herd mentality and short-term-oriented stance not only of our individual (retail) but also institutional investors.
Hence, as BI Governor Boediono and chief economics minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said Sunday, if we really care about protecting our own house from the fallout of the international financial crisis, then we all, in our respective roles, should help contribute to maintain calm.
This calls for domestic retail and institutional investors to get rid of their herd mentality and adopt a more long-term view in order to contribute to building up a financially stable base for our equity market.
The writer can be reached at v_lingga@yahoo.com.
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EXCHANGE TRADE CURRENCY FUTURES BY MONTH END
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Exchange trade currency futures by month end
Economy Bureau
Posted online: Wednesday, August 06, 2008 at 22:17 hrs
Updated On: Wednesday, August 06, 2008 at 22:17 hrs
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The Securities & Exchange Board of India (Sebi) will launch a pilot alternative payment system for public issues by August-end, which would allow investors to keep the application money in their bank accounts till they are allotted shares.
"Hopefully by August end, we will start the pilot project," Sebi chairman CB Bhave told reporters at a seminar organised by the Financial Planning Standards Board India.
NOTE: BHAVE IS A RESPECTED PERSONALITY IN SEBI.
Further, the markets regulator is expected to launch the exchange trade currency futures by this month-end. So far three entities—NSE, MCX-promoter Financial Technologies and a consortium of HDFC, Kotak and SBI —have evinced interest in starting these products.
The pilot payment system would enable investors to earn interest income on their application money till the time of allotment, while sparing them from the hassles of getting refunds in case they are not allotted shares.
Bhave said the current system of payment through cheques and the alternate system would co-exist. Commenting on the pilot system, he said, "We really don't know how the system works. We need to get used to it. We have to sort out glitches if there are any in the beginning."
The alternate payment system, called additional mode of payment through applications supported by blocked amount, will exempt retail investors from making full advance fees. Instead, it would let them retain the in bank accounts till the completion of allotment. The system is dependent on 'Self Certified Syndicate Banks' (SCSB) that would accept the application of retail investors. Banks that wish to offer the ASBA facility must submit a certificate to Sebi for inclusion of its name in the SCSB list. Under the scheme, the SCSBs will block funds to the extent of the bid amount, upload the details in the electronic bidding system and then unblock funds of finalisation of allotment.
This mode of payment will apply only to public issues offered under the book building route and only those retail investors would be part of this payment process who bid at the cut-off price as the single option and agree not to revise their bids.
On exchange traded currency futures, Sebi chairman said that three entities have applied for launching these products. When asked about the specific timeframe for the launch of currency futures, Bhave said this was not in the regulator's hands as the three entities are in various stages of preparing software and setting up hardware for the...
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» Exchage traded Currency
Posted by Shyam.P.Kunte on 2008-08-06 09:26:54.130376+05:30
Another exchange is getting born here for speculators mostly of FIIs/Foreign Banks/Corporates to defraud gullible small investors.How come SEBI has forgotten the current MTM losses fiasco and really it is surprising.In a Trade deficit country like ours and with huge unwanted Forex reserves it will spell disaster in long term.May god save our Nation from those tricky financial gambling products.JaiHind
Reply Forward Report Abuse
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Exchange trade currency futures by month end
Economy Bureau
Posted online: Wednesday, August 06, 2008 at 22:17 hrs
Updated On: Wednesday, August 06, 2008 at 22:17 hrs
Font Size
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Save & Share Article What's this?
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The Securities & Exchange Board of India (Sebi) will launch a pilot alternative payment system for public issues by August-end, which would allow investors to keep the application money in their bank accounts till they are allotted shares.
"Hopefully by August end, we will start the pilot project," Sebi chairman CB Bhave told reporters at a seminar organised by the Financial Planning Standards Board India.
NOTE: BHAVE IS A RESPECTED PERSONALITY IN SEBI.
Further, the markets regulator is expected to launch the exchange trade currency futures by this month-end. So far three entities—NSE, MCX-promoter Financial Technologies and a consortium of HDFC, Kotak and SBI —have evinced interest in starting these products.
The pilot payment system would enable investors to earn interest income on their application money till the time of allotment, while sparing them from the hassles of getting refunds in case they are not allotted shares.
Bhave said the current system of payment through cheques and the alternate system would co-exist. Commenting on the pilot system, he said, "We really don't know how the system works. We need to get used to it. We have to sort out glitches if there are any in the beginning."
The alternate payment system, called additional mode of payment through applications supported by blocked amount, will exempt retail investors from making full advance fees. Instead, it would let them retain the in bank accounts till the completion of allotment. The system is dependent on 'Self Certified Syndicate Banks' (SCSB) that would accept the application of retail investors. Banks that wish to offer the ASBA facility must submit a certificate to Sebi for inclusion of its name in the SCSB list. Under the scheme, the SCSBs will block funds to the extent of the bid amount, upload the details in the electronic bidding system and then unblock funds of finalisation of allotment.
This mode of payment will apply only to public issues offered under the book building route and only those retail investors would be part of this payment process who bid at the cut-off price as the single option and agree not to revise their bids.
On exchange traded currency futures, Sebi chairman said that three entities have applied for launching these products. When asked about the specific timeframe for the launch of currency futures, Bhave said this was not in the regulator's hands as the three entities are in various stages of preparing software and setting up hardware for the...
Single Page Format 1 - 2 - Next
Trade Commodities Futures
Futures Trading on 18 Exchanges.Sign Up Now for Free Membership! Your Free Forex Course
Learn How to Trade like a Pro!Get Your Free Course & Start Today. Trade Currency Exchange
Join Easy-Forex: Online 24x7 Trade,$100 Start, 1:200 Leverage, No Fees
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The views represented here are not neccesarily endorsed by www.financialexpress.com and its allied websites. All messages will be moderated and no message that has inflammatory, abusive, derogatory language or any language deemed unfit for publication by the editor will be displayed. Though it will be endeavoured that as many messages as possible be displayed, there will be time lag between the submission and publication of the messages. The website reserves the right to publish or reject any message.
I agree to the terms of use.
Comments
» Exchage traded Currency
Posted by Shyam.P.Kunte on 2008-08-06 09:26:54.130376+05:30
Another exchange is getting born here for speculators mostly of FIIs/Foreign Banks/Corporates to defraud gullible small investors.How come SEBI has forgotten the current MTM losses fiasco and really it is surprising.In a Trade deficit country like ours and with huge unwanted Forex reserves it will spell disaster in long term.May god save our Nation from those tricky financial gambling products.JaiHind
Reply Forward Report Abuse
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* Raja pulls up BSNL on slow growth
* BSE board meets amid differences
* Career crossroads: The dilemma of a transfer
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200000+ Hot Job Openings!Send Rakhi Gifts To India
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Post and view free classifieds adExpress Astrology
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Disclosure of Shareholdings in Accordance with Stock Market Rules
Last update: 12:16 p.m. EDT Aug. 7, 2008
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, Aug 07, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- Addex Pharmaceuticals (SWISS: ADXN) announced today that on August 6, 2008, Varuma AG, Aeschenvorstadt 55, 4051 Basel, Switzerland, has informed of exceeding the threshold of 3% in the shareholding of Addex Pharmaceuticals Ltd., holding a total of 231,425 registered shares, corresponding to 3.95% of the voting rights. The beneficiary of the shareholdings of Varuma AG is Mr. Rudolf Maag, at Neuhofweg 11, 4102 Binningen, Switzerland.
NOTE: ADDEX IS A WELL KNOWN PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY.
About Addex
Addex Pharmaceuticals discovers and develops allosteric modulators for human health. Allosteric modulators are an emerging class of orally available small molecule therapeutic agents that we believe will offer patients better results than classical drugs. Most marketed drugs bind receptors where the body's own natural molecular activators (i.e. endogenous ligands) bind, specifically to a key part of each receptor's anatomy called the "active site". In short, most drugs must out-compete endogenous ligands for the active site. By contrast, allosteric modulators are non-competitive because they bind receptors and modify their function even if the endogenous ligand also is binding it. In addition, because of this, allosteric modulators aren't limited to simply turning a receptor on or off, the way most drugs are. Instead, they act more like a dimmer switch, offering control over the degree of activation or deactivation, while offering the body the ability to maintain control over initiating receptor activation. Furthermore, the allosteric approach generally affords freedom to operate - even on well-known, clinically validated targets - because the intellectual property surrounding allosteric chemistry and the allosteric sites on receptors is most often un-exploited.
ADX10059, our most advanced product, is an mGluR5 NAM (metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 negative allosteric modulator). It has demonstrated clinically and statistically significant efficacy in separate Phase IIa clinical trials in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients and migraine headache patients and has potential in additional indications.
The Addex allosteric modulation discovery and development platform have been additionally validated through three seperatate product license or collaboration agreements with Merck & Co., Inc. and Johnson & Johnson as well as investments by Roche Ventures and SR One, the venture investment arm of GlaxoSmithKline. Contacts
Disclaimer
The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as "not approvable", "continue", "believes", "believe", "will", "remained open to exploring", "would", "could", or similar expressions, or by express or implied discussions regarding Addex Pharmaceuticals Ltd, its business, the potential approval of its products by regulatory authorities, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. Such forward- looking statements reflect the current views of Addex Pharmaceuticals Ltd regarding future events, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results with allosteric modulators of mGluR4, mGluR2, mGluR5 or other therapeutic targets to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. There can be no guarantee that allosteric modulators of mGluR4, mGluR2 or mGluR5 will be approved for sale in any market or by any regulatory authority. Nor can there be any guarantee that allosteric modulators of mGluR4, mGluR2, mGluR5 or other therapeutic targets will achieve any particular levels of revenue (if any) in the future. In particular, management's expectations regarding allosteric modulators of mGluR4, mGluR2, mGluR5 or other therapeutic targets could be affected by, among other things, unexpected actions by our partners, unexpected regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; unexpected clinical trial results, including unexpected new clinical data and unexpected additional analysis of existing clinical data; competition in general; government, industry and general public pricing pressures; the company's ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual property protection. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Addex Pharmaceuticals is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Copyright Copyright Hugin AS 2008. All rights reserved.
Chris Maggos
Head of IR & Communications
Addex Pharmaceuticals
+41 22 884 15 11
Email Contact
SOURCE: Addex Pharmaceuticals
http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct?id=07E63FA2DB9FD852
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Disclosure of Shareholdings in Accordance with Stock Market Rules
Last update: 12:16 p.m. EDT Aug. 7, 2008
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, Aug 07, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- Addex Pharmaceuticals (SWISS: ADXN) announced today that on August 6, 2008, Varuma AG, Aeschenvorstadt 55, 4051 Basel, Switzerland, has informed of exceeding the threshold of 3% in the shareholding of Addex Pharmaceuticals Ltd., holding a total of 231,425 registered shares, corresponding to 3.95% of the voting rights. The beneficiary of the shareholdings of Varuma AG is Mr. Rudolf Maag, at Neuhofweg 11, 4102 Binningen, Switzerland.
NOTE: ADDEX IS A WELL KNOWN PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY.
About Addex
Addex Pharmaceuticals discovers and develops allosteric modulators for human health. Allosteric modulators are an emerging class of orally available small molecule therapeutic agents that we believe will offer patients better results than classical drugs. Most marketed drugs bind receptors where the body's own natural molecular activators (i.e. endogenous ligands) bind, specifically to a key part of each receptor's anatomy called the "active site". In short, most drugs must out-compete endogenous ligands for the active site. By contrast, allosteric modulators are non-competitive because they bind receptors and modify their function even if the endogenous ligand also is binding it. In addition, because of this, allosteric modulators aren't limited to simply turning a receptor on or off, the way most drugs are. Instead, they act more like a dimmer switch, offering control over the degree of activation or deactivation, while offering the body the ability to maintain control over initiating receptor activation. Furthermore, the allosteric approach generally affords freedom to operate - even on well-known, clinically validated targets - because the intellectual property surrounding allosteric chemistry and the allosteric sites on receptors is most often un-exploited.
ADX10059, our most advanced product, is an mGluR5 NAM (metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 negative allosteric modulator). It has demonstrated clinically and statistically significant efficacy in separate Phase IIa clinical trials in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients and migraine headache patients and has potential in additional indications.
The Addex allosteric modulation discovery and development platform have been additionally validated through three seperatate product license or collaboration agreements with Merck & Co., Inc. and Johnson & Johnson as well as investments by Roche Ventures and SR One, the venture investment arm of GlaxoSmithKline. Contacts
Disclaimer
The foregoing release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as "not approvable", "continue", "believes", "believe", "will", "remained open to exploring", "would", "could", or similar expressions, or by express or implied discussions regarding Addex Pharmaceuticals Ltd, its business, the potential approval of its products by regulatory authorities, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. Such forward- looking statements reflect the current views of Addex Pharmaceuticals Ltd regarding future events, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results with allosteric modulators of mGluR4, mGluR2, mGluR5 or other therapeutic targets to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. There can be no guarantee that allosteric modulators of mGluR4, mGluR2 or mGluR5 will be approved for sale in any market or by any regulatory authority. Nor can there be any guarantee that allosteric modulators of mGluR4, mGluR2, mGluR5 or other therapeutic targets will achieve any particular levels of revenue (if any) in the future. In particular, management's expectations regarding allosteric modulators of mGluR4, mGluR2, mGluR5 or other therapeutic targets could be affected by, among other things, unexpected actions by our partners, unexpected regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; unexpected clinical trial results, including unexpected new clinical data and unexpected additional analysis of existing clinical data; competition in general; government, industry and general public pricing pressures; the company's ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual property protection. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Addex Pharmaceuticals is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Copyright Copyright Hugin AS 2008. All rights reserved.
Chris Maggos
Head of IR & Communications
Addex Pharmaceuticals
+41 22 884 15 11
Email Contact
SOURCE: Addex Pharmaceuticals
http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct?id=07E63FA2DB9FD852
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By GORAN MIJUK
June 30, 2008; Page C5
ZURICH -- With prices for property and casualty insurance expected to continue falling this year, some European insurers and reinsurers are boosting their life-insurance operations and could pursue takeovers to protect premium growth and profits.
Some life-insurance markets, especially in emerging Asian economies, promise double-digit growth rates because of rising demand for life savings products from increasing numbers of affluent people. As growth for other insurance business is expected to remain sluggish in mature markets like the U.S. and Europe, analysts also expect more takeovers and business tie-ups.
[Jacques Aigrain]
NOTE: LIFE INSURANCE IS INDEED A NEED MAY IT BE IN TIMES OF CRISIS.
World-wide nonlife premiums fell 0.3% last year, while life premiums rose 4.7%, according to data from Swiss Re, which said the trend is expected to stay in place. In Russia, life-premium volume jumped 30%.
Some industry executives and analysts warn that because of a mass move toward emerging markets, growth rates may be less pronounced than expected. Many also caution that large takeovers may be the wrong avenue to boost growth because of the high cost of capital.
"The efforts to increase the life-insurance portfolio by insurance and reinsurance companies are certainly positive," says Rene Locher, a Zurich-based insurance analyst for Sal. Oppenheim. "But the move toward life insurance alone won't be able to fully compensate the fall in prices in the nonlife sector."
NOTE: RENE LOCHER IS A RESPECTED PERSONALITY IN THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY.
Swiss Re, the world's largest reinsurer in terms of premiums, is shifting focus to life, saying that prices for other insurance, especially in mature markets, are falling. Reinsurance companies provide insurance to insurers, in exchange for a fee.
"We are allocating our capital efficiently to the lines of business with the best return, for example in the life sector," said Swiss Re Chief Executive Officer Jacques Aigrain. He noted that Swiss Re has substantially reduced its exposure to insuring business risk and is now allocating more capital to life-insurance businesses, including those focused on retirement planning.
Companies and analysts say that while life insurance premiums will increase, other insurance and reinsurance prices will weaken fast this year after rising for several years. Besides fierce competition, a weakening economy in the U.S. and in Europe is also expected to put pressure on premiums this year.
Still, emerging markets make up only about a tenth of all the insurance business in industrialized markets. General annual life and nonlife premiums in industrialized countries stood at around $3.6 trillion at the end of 2007, compared with $414 billion in emerging markets.
Hannover Re, which ranks third in premium income among the world's largest reinsurers, after Swiss Re and Munich Re, also hopes that its growing life reinsurance business will help it increase profit this year. CEO Wilhelm Zeller said in June that the company expects to see "double-digit growth" in premiums and net profit from its life and health businesses. The company hopes to boost its life business by 12% to 15% this year, offsetting weak premiums in other businesses, which are expected to shrink by around 5% compared with last year.
French reinsurance company Scor SA also sees strong growth, with less volatility, in the life insurance sector, CEO Denis Kessler said Thursday.
But as the natural growth of business is likely to be too slow, insurance analysts also expect companies to engage in some mergers and acquisitions, although risks will be high given current market volatility.
At Swiss Re, Mr. Aigrain said the company isn't planning any big takeovers but is looking at buying life insurance portfolios from other insurers.
Zurich Financial Services, whose profit depends predominantly on its nonlife business, is believed to be a frontrunner in bidding for Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC's life and nonlife insurance business. Zurich Financial has repeatedly declined to comment on the market speculation.
The financial market hasn't reacted well to Zurich Financial's presumed interest in the RBS unit, though, fearing that it might pay too much and have to raise new capital. Since the beginning of May, when the Swiss insurer was mentioned for the first time as a possible bidder, its stock has fallen around 20%.
Still, Zurich Financial says it sees growth opportunities in all insurance sectors. "It's not a matter of pitting general insurance against life insurance, since we see attractive opportunities in both", said Zurich Financial Chief Financial Officer Dieter Wemmer Thursday.
Write to Goran Mijuk at goran.mijuk@dowjones.com
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* EU Cartel Probe Targets Firms17737533
The European Commission said it sent an official list of charges to a number of companies ...
* Assault on Ear, by Any Name17735949
SPACs have been a little slower to take off in Europe, with only 11 launched so far. But i...
* Insurers Face Catastrophe Losses17735935
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4. Opinion: Obama's Dry Hole
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MORE
Europe Insurers Shift Focus
Life Operations
Are Expanded in Bid
To Protect Profits
By GORAN MIJUK
June 30, 2008; Page C5
ZURICH -- With prices for property and casualty insurance expected to continue falling this year, some European insurers and reinsurers are boosting their life-insurance operations and could pursue takeovers to protect premium growth and profits.
Some life-insurance markets, especially in emerging Asian economies, promise double-digit growth rates because of rising demand for life savings products from increasing numbers of affluent people. As growth for other insurance business is expected to remain sluggish in mature markets like the U.S. and Europe, analysts also expect more takeovers and business tie-ups.
[Jacques Aigrain]
NOTE: LIFE INSURANCE IS INDEED A NEED MAY IT BE IN TIMES OF CRISIS.
World-wide nonlife premiums fell 0.3% last year, while life premiums rose 4.7%, according to data from Swiss Re, which said the trend is expected to stay in place. In Russia, life-premium volume jumped 30%.
Some industry executives and analysts warn that because of a mass move toward emerging markets, growth rates may be less pronounced than expected. Many also caution that large takeovers may be the wrong avenue to boost growth because of the high cost of capital.
"The efforts to increase the life-insurance portfolio by insurance and reinsurance companies are certainly positive," says Rene Locher, a Zurich-based insurance analyst for Sal. Oppenheim. "But the move toward life insurance alone won't be able to fully compensate the fall in prices in the nonlife sector."
NOTE: RENE LOCHER IS A RESPECTED PERSONALITY IN THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY.
Swiss Re, the world's largest reinsurer in terms of premiums, is shifting focus to life, saying that prices for other insurance, especially in mature markets, are falling. Reinsurance companies provide insurance to insurers, in exchange for a fee.
"We are allocating our capital efficiently to the lines of business with the best return, for example in the life sector," said Swiss Re Chief Executive Officer Jacques Aigrain. He noted that Swiss Re has substantially reduced its exposure to insuring business risk and is now allocating more capital to life-insurance businesses, including those focused on retirement planning.
Companies and analysts say that while life insurance premiums will increase, other insurance and reinsurance prices will weaken fast this year after rising for several years. Besides fierce competition, a weakening economy in the U.S. and in Europe is also expected to put pressure on premiums this year.
Still, emerging markets make up only about a tenth of all the insurance business in industrialized markets. General annual life and nonlife premiums in industrialized countries stood at around $3.6 trillion at the end of 2007, compared with $414 billion in emerging markets.
Hannover Re, which ranks third in premium income among the world's largest reinsurers, after Swiss Re and Munich Re, also hopes that its growing life reinsurance business will help it increase profit this year. CEO Wilhelm Zeller said in June that the company expects to see "double-digit growth" in premiums and net profit from its life and health businesses. The company hopes to boost its life business by 12% to 15% this year, offsetting weak premiums in other businesses, which are expected to shrink by around 5% compared with last year.
French reinsurance company Scor SA also sees strong growth, with less volatility, in the life insurance sector, CEO Denis Kessler said Thursday.
But as the natural growth of business is likely to be too slow, insurance analysts also expect companies to engage in some mergers and acquisitions, although risks will be high given current market volatility.
At Swiss Re, Mr. Aigrain said the company isn't planning any big takeovers but is looking at buying life insurance portfolios from other insurers.
Zurich Financial Services, whose profit depends predominantly on its nonlife business, is believed to be a frontrunner in bidding for Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC's life and nonlife insurance business. Zurich Financial has repeatedly declined to comment on the market speculation.
The financial market hasn't reacted well to Zurich Financial's presumed interest in the RBS unit, though, fearing that it might pay too much and have to raise new capital. Since the beginning of May, when the Swiss insurer was mentioned for the first time as a possible bidder, its stock has fallen around 20%.
Still, Zurich Financial says it sees growth opportunities in all insurance sectors. "It's not a matter of pitting general insurance against life insurance, since we see attractive opportunities in both", said Zurich Financial Chief Financial Officer Dieter Wemmer Thursday.
Write to Goran Mijuk at goran.mijuk@dowjones.com
RELATED ARTICLES FROM ACROSS THE WEB
Related Content may require a subscription | Subscribe Now -- Get 2 Weeks FREE
Related Articles from WSJ.com
• How to Keep Health Insurance When You Lose Your Job Jun. 26, 2008
Related Web News
• Cost Of Living - Cheaper, Yes, but Only on the Price - NYTimes.com Jun. 28, 2008 nytimes.com
• Is Liability Insurance a Must to Go Global? Jun. 18, 2008 businessweek.com
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Friday, July 4, 2008
CAN YOU AFFORD LONG -TERM- CARE INSURANCE?
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Home > Money & Business > Planning to Retire > Can You Afford Long-Term-Care Insurance?
« 8 More Ways to Save in Retirement
Planning to Retire by Emily Brandon
Can You Afford Long-Term-Care Insurance?
June 30, 2008 01:09 PM ET | Emily Brandon | Permanent Link
Long-term care is likely to be most Americans' greatest expense of all in retirement. A private room in a nursing home costs $76,460 annually on average, or $209 a day, and Medicare typically won't cover it.
Long-term-care insurance can help protect you from some of these unpredictable costs. It can be used to pay for nursing home expenses, adult day care, and in-home help for seniors with chronic conditions or who need extra help recovering from an illness.
But this pricey insurance is prohibitively expensive for many people. AARP estimates that a 65-year-old in good health can expect to pay between $2,000 and $3,000 a year for a policy that covers nursing-home and home care. And Fidelity Investments estimates that a couple, both of whom are 65 in 2008, will need $85,000 to insure against a lifetime of long-term-care expenses.
NOTE: THINGS TO CONSIDER PRIOR TO GETTING A LIFE INSURANCE...
If you're going to buy long-term-care insurance, here are a few things to consider:
Premiums. Find out what the premium is now and what it will cost in the future. Ask if a pre-existing medical condition could influence premium prices. AARP says you may not want to buy a policy if the cost of premiums will lower your standard of living or force you to give up other things you need right now. The National Program on Women and Aging recommends that, as a rule of thumb, premiums should be less than 20 percent of your disposable income after all other essential bills are paid. So, this type of insurance is primarily appropriate for people with assets between $200,000 and $1.5 million, according to Consumer Reports. Both long-term-care expenses and insurance are so expensive that almost all middle- and low-income households rely on Medicaid for nursing home care after they spend down their assets to a level at which they qualify.
NOTE: AARP IS A WELL RESPECTED COMPANY IN THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY.
Coverage. You can choose to be covered for different varieties of home healthcare, nursing-home care, or both. Some providers offer lower premiums if you agree to a waiting period of up to 100 days before coverage begins, during which you pay all of your own expenses.
Be sure to ask about the duration of coverage. Long-term-care coverage doesn't always last that long. The average length of stay in a nursing home is 3.7 years for women and 2.7 years for men, according to Joan Bloom, a senior vice president for Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Co. You can choose a benefit period as short as two years or as long as the rest of your life. And you'll want to find out about maximum daily, monthly, or lifetime payouts and whether they are indexed for inflation. If your care costs more than the caps, you will have to pay for it out of your own pocket.
The company. Ask what happens if the insurance company should go out of business before you need long-term-care coverage. And check out its track record for paying out claims. You can examine ratings of companies online at A.M. Best, Moody's, and Standard & Poor's. Consumer Reports recommends that you buy only from insurers that are rated in the top two financial-strength categories by at least two of the ratings services. You can also check up on a company with your state insurance department.
The fine print. Read any contract you sign carefully, and ask questions. Find out how to cancel, what happens if you stop paying the premiums, how many times you can renew, and what needs to happen before you can begin using your benefits. A fee-only financial planner, whom you pay by the hour and who doesn't accept commissions for selling you financial products, can help you decipher the fine-print sales pitch.
Your state. Insurance laws and options vary by state. The nonprofit Family Caregiver Alliance has a Web tool to help consumers peruse long-term-care options in each state. And the National Association of Insurance Commissioners offers consumer tips for buying long-term-care insurance.
Tags: insurance | retirement
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Home > Money & Business > Planning to Retire > Can You Afford Long-Term-Care Insurance?
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Planning to Retire by Emily Brandon
Can You Afford Long-Term-Care Insurance?
June 30, 2008 01:09 PM ET | Emily Brandon | Permanent Link
Long-term care is likely to be most Americans' greatest expense of all in retirement. A private room in a nursing home costs $76,460 annually on average, or $209 a day, and Medicare typically won't cover it.
Long-term-care insurance can help protect you from some of these unpredictable costs. It can be used to pay for nursing home expenses, adult day care, and in-home help for seniors with chronic conditions or who need extra help recovering from an illness.
But this pricey insurance is prohibitively expensive for many people. AARP estimates that a 65-year-old in good health can expect to pay between $2,000 and $3,000 a year for a policy that covers nursing-home and home care. And Fidelity Investments estimates that a couple, both of whom are 65 in 2008, will need $85,000 to insure against a lifetime of long-term-care expenses.
NOTE: THINGS TO CONSIDER PRIOR TO GETTING A LIFE INSURANCE...
If you're going to buy long-term-care insurance, here are a few things to consider:
Premiums. Find out what the premium is now and what it will cost in the future. Ask if a pre-existing medical condition could influence premium prices. AARP says you may not want to buy a policy if the cost of premiums will lower your standard of living or force you to give up other things you need right now. The National Program on Women and Aging recommends that, as a rule of thumb, premiums should be less than 20 percent of your disposable income after all other essential bills are paid. So, this type of insurance is primarily appropriate for people with assets between $200,000 and $1.5 million, according to Consumer Reports. Both long-term-care expenses and insurance are so expensive that almost all middle- and low-income households rely on Medicaid for nursing home care after they spend down their assets to a level at which they qualify.
NOTE: AARP IS A WELL RESPECTED COMPANY IN THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY.
Coverage. You can choose to be covered for different varieties of home healthcare, nursing-home care, or both. Some providers offer lower premiums if you agree to a waiting period of up to 100 days before coverage begins, during which you pay all of your own expenses.
Be sure to ask about the duration of coverage. Long-term-care coverage doesn't always last that long. The average length of stay in a nursing home is 3.7 years for women and 2.7 years for men, according to Joan Bloom, a senior vice president for Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Co. You can choose a benefit period as short as two years or as long as the rest of your life. And you'll want to find out about maximum daily, monthly, or lifetime payouts and whether they are indexed for inflation. If your care costs more than the caps, you will have to pay for it out of your own pocket.
The company. Ask what happens if the insurance company should go out of business before you need long-term-care coverage. And check out its track record for paying out claims. You can examine ratings of companies online at A.M. Best, Moody's, and Standard & Poor's. Consumer Reports recommends that you buy only from insurers that are rated in the top two financial-strength categories by at least two of the ratings services. You can also check up on a company with your state insurance department.
The fine print. Read any contract you sign carefully, and ask questions. Find out how to cancel, what happens if you stop paying the premiums, how many times you can renew, and what needs to happen before you can begin using your benefits. A fee-only financial planner, whom you pay by the hour and who doesn't accept commissions for selling you financial products, can help you decipher the fine-print sales pitch.
Your state. Insurance laws and options vary by state. The nonprofit Family Caregiver Alliance has a Web tool to help consumers peruse long-term-care options in each state. And the National Association of Insurance Commissioners offers consumer tips for buying long-term-care insurance.
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Thursday, July 3, 2008
AEGON RELIGARE LIFE INSURANCE GETS FINAL IRDA NOD
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AEGON Religare Life Insurance gets final IRDA nod
30 Jun, 2008, 1742 hrs IST, ECONOMICTIMES.COM
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MUMBAI: AEGON Religare Life Insurance Company has received the final approval from the Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority to operate in the life insurance space. The R3 license from the IRDA is the last of the three steps in the registration process.
"Our plans for the nationwide launch are now ready for execution. We will strive to delight our customers through a fresh approach, innovative solutions and seamless delivery," said Rajiv Jamkhedkar, CEO, AEGON Religare Life Insurance, which is a joint venture between AEGON and Religare.
NOTE: AEGON AND RELIGARE HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY.
AEGON is one of the world's largest life insurance and pension companies with presence in more than 20 countries. It employs about 30,000 people, and services over 40 million customers across the world.
Religare is a leading integrated financial services institution. The company's retail network is spread in over 1,300 locations across more than 400 cities and towns in India. It has total employee strength of more than 10,000.
Discuss this story with other readers. Click on 'Discuss' link at the top and bottom of the story. To know more about this feature click 'here'.
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AEGON Religare Life Insurance gets final IRDA nod
30 Jun, 2008, 1742 hrs IST, ECONOMICTIMES.COM
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MUMBAI: AEGON Religare Life Insurance Company has received the final approval from the Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority to operate in the life insurance space. The R3 license from the IRDA is the last of the three steps in the registration process.
"Our plans for the nationwide launch are now ready for execution. We will strive to delight our customers through a fresh approach, innovative solutions and seamless delivery," said Rajiv Jamkhedkar, CEO, AEGON Religare Life Insurance, which is a joint venture between AEGON and Religare.
NOTE: AEGON AND RELIGARE HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY.
AEGON is one of the world's largest life insurance and pension companies with presence in more than 20 countries. It employs about 30,000 people, and services over 40 million customers across the world.
Religare is a leading integrated financial services institution. The company's retail network is spread in over 1,300 locations across more than 400 cities and towns in India. It has total employee strength of more than 10,000.
Discuss this story with other readers. Click on 'Discuss' link at the top and bottom of the story. To know more about this feature click 'here'.
Here is your chance to get in touch with the best and brightest financial and business brains all over the world. www.economictimes.com is happy to introduce the 'Discuss' functionality in all its story pages. This live chat feature that will enable you to discuss any story with any other interested reader around the world. All you need to do is click on the 'Discuss' link inside any story. A chat window will pop open. You can enter any nickname or your real name in this chat window. To see who else is in the story discussion room, just click on the 'Visitors' link on the chat window. You can keep your discussions with other readers in the public domain where other readers too are free to join in or go into a private discussion mode. For more details on how to use this chat utility, please "click here"
Print EMail
Discuss New
Bookmark/Share
Bookmark / Share
Del.icio.us Google Bookmarks
Facebook Yahoo MyWeb
StumbleUpon Reddit
More
Save Write to Editor
Comments to the Editor
Be the first to write to the Editor.
Other stories in this section
* UCO Bank puts non-life insurance foray on hold
* Aegon Religare life insurance JV gets regulator nod
* Get insured against terrorist attacks for free!
* MSCB ties-up with Bajaj Allianz
* ICICI Lombard Health insurance scheme for BPL families
More >>
Other News
* Nano to get components from Kinetic soon
* Seven interview questions that can knock you out
* SBI hikes interest rates on home, car loans
* Small players bet big on mall entertainment
Market
NSE|BSE
Graph
Corporate Announcement
ICICI Securities Primary Dealership appoints Prasanna as CEO
Bond house ICICI Securities Primary Dealership today announced the appointment of B Prasanna as the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director.
ET Debates
* How to deal with ever-rising crude prices?
* Latest
News
* Most
Read
* Most
Emailed
* Most
Commented
* Copper futures up, more gains seen (1250hrs)
* US nuclear power plants not following safety rules (1247hrs)
* Sena would have backed Mahajan's brother: Joshi (1245hrs)
* In recall petition, Jindal vetoes legislative pay raise (1240hrs)
More >>
Shop
MP3 Rs 649
Books 25% off
More >>
Travel : Hotels
Jaipur Rs 1100
Trivandrum Rs 845
Nainital Rs 731
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Wednesday, July 2, 2008
NAMIBIA: LIFE INSURANCE, RIP-OFF OR PAY-OFF?
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Namibia: Life Insurance, Rip-Off Or Pay-Off?
The Namibian (Windhoek)
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The Namibian (Windhoek)
COLUMN
30 June 2008
Posted to the web 30 June 2008
Windhoek
Seeing the value in life insurance is often, as is the case with many intangible goods, somewhat difficult at first glance.
For example, life insurance that pays out when the insured life dies. Many people believe they will never get anything back in return for their premiums. A closer look, however, quickly shows that this is not true.
NOTE: STUDY OF LIFE INSURANCE IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
In qualifying this statement, it is important to take into account that life cover generally takes on one of two forms - the one form is term insurance which will only pay out the contracted life cover should the person whose life is insured die within the agreed time period for which the cover is taken out.
The other form is whole life insurance which pays out the contracted life cover at whatever point in time the life insured dies.
It is thus clear that if a whole life policy is maintained, at some future time there will be a payoff.
The premium payable for term cover is less than for whole life cover, all other things being equal.
Whether you select a term insurance option or a whole life insurance option should be determined by the need you are attempting to address - if life cover is only needed for a very specific period of time (e.g. for bond cover where it is known in what period the bond will be repaid and there is no additional need for life cover after repayment of the bond) term cover might suffice, but as a general rule it is better and wiser to take out whole life cover.
NOTE: IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO LISTEN TO STORIES OF THOSE WHO GOT INSURANCE.
A short example to illustrate the value of taking out whole life insurance is outlined below: Joe is a 35 year old male accountant with a wife and two children.
Joe's financial adviser has done a capital needs analysis for him, from which it is evident that Joe's dependants would require N$1 million capital to replace the loss of income his family would suffer should he die today.
A quotation for N$1 million whole life cover on Joe's life with a level premium shows that Joe would have to pay N$ 261,00 per month for the required cover.
Joe is interested in knowing if, should he decide not to take out the life cover and instead invest the premium he would have paid towards the life cover, what returns he would need to get on his investment to be in the same position.
This situation is outlined in the following table: Monthly Return needed Dies at Age Premium to equal Paid life cover 40 (5 years on) 261,00 123,62% 45 (10 years on) 261,00 51,8% 55 (20 years on) 261,00 21,26% 65 (30 years on) 261,00 12,37% 75 (40 years on) 261,00 8,3% It is therefore clear that even if the life cover is looked at as an investment that will last for Joe's expected lifetime, it still delivers a competitive return. Whilst the return generated by life insurance is one important aspect when considering the value for money of life insurance, there is also another very important aspect to consider - the fact that nobody is exactly sure when he/she is going to die.
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This is where life cover really offers a cost effective solution to create the capital needed by the life insured's dependants. If, in our example, Joe should die in a car accident three months after having taken out his life insurance, he would receive N$1 million in return for total premiums paid of N$783,00 - a very sound investment indeed! A different way of looking at this is to say that Old Mutual in return for N$261,00 per month carries the risk of Joe dying prematurely, instead of Joe's family having to carry that risk.
NOTE: LIFE INSURANCE IS INDEED A WISE INVESTMENT SPECIALLY THOSE WITH DEPENDENTS.
From what we have highlighted above it is obvious that to extract maximum value from your insurance portfolio, your portfolio needs to be based on a proper analysis of your needs.
These needs must be reviewed regularly. For further information and advice tailored to suit your unique needs, please call your Old Mutual Namibia financial adviser or broker -This article was contributed by Mathys du Preez (Manager: Retail Advice) Centre - Old Mutual Namibia
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
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Namibia: Life Insurance, Rip-Off Or Pay-Off?
The Namibian (Windhoek)
Email This Page
Print This Page
Comment on this article
The Namibian (Windhoek)
COLUMN
30 June 2008
Posted to the web 30 June 2008
Windhoek
Seeing the value in life insurance is often, as is the case with many intangible goods, somewhat difficult at first glance.
For example, life insurance that pays out when the insured life dies. Many people believe they will never get anything back in return for their premiums. A closer look, however, quickly shows that this is not true.
NOTE: STUDY OF LIFE INSURANCE IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
In qualifying this statement, it is important to take into account that life cover generally takes on one of two forms - the one form is term insurance which will only pay out the contracted life cover should the person whose life is insured die within the agreed time period for which the cover is taken out.
The other form is whole life insurance which pays out the contracted life cover at whatever point in time the life insured dies.
It is thus clear that if a whole life policy is maintained, at some future time there will be a payoff.
The premium payable for term cover is less than for whole life cover, all other things being equal.
Whether you select a term insurance option or a whole life insurance option should be determined by the need you are attempting to address - if life cover is only needed for a very specific period of time (e.g. for bond cover where it is known in what period the bond will be repaid and there is no additional need for life cover after repayment of the bond) term cover might suffice, but as a general rule it is better and wiser to take out whole life cover.
NOTE: IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO LISTEN TO STORIES OF THOSE WHO GOT INSURANCE.
A short example to illustrate the value of taking out whole life insurance is outlined below: Joe is a 35 year old male accountant with a wife and two children.
Joe's financial adviser has done a capital needs analysis for him, from which it is evident that Joe's dependants would require N$1 million capital to replace the loss of income his family would suffer should he die today.
A quotation for N$1 million whole life cover on Joe's life with a level premium shows that Joe would have to pay N$ 261,00 per month for the required cover.
Joe is interested in knowing if, should he decide not to take out the life cover and instead invest the premium he would have paid towards the life cover, what returns he would need to get on his investment to be in the same position.
This situation is outlined in the following table: Monthly Return needed Dies at Age Premium to equal Paid life cover 40 (5 years on) 261,00 123,62% 45 (10 years on) 261,00 51,8% 55 (20 years on) 261,00 21,26% 65 (30 years on) 261,00 12,37% 75 (40 years on) 261,00 8,3% It is therefore clear that even if the life cover is looked at as an investment that will last for Joe's expected lifetime, it still delivers a competitive return. Whilst the return generated by life insurance is one important aspect when considering the value for money of life insurance, there is also another very important aspect to consider - the fact that nobody is exactly sure when he/she is going to die.
Relevant Links
Southern Africa
Banking and Insurance
Economy, Business and Finance
Namibia
This is where life cover really offers a cost effective solution to create the capital needed by the life insured's dependants. If, in our example, Joe should die in a car accident three months after having taken out his life insurance, he would receive N$1 million in return for total premiums paid of N$783,00 - a very sound investment indeed! A different way of looking at this is to say that Old Mutual in return for N$261,00 per month carries the risk of Joe dying prematurely, instead of Joe's family having to carry that risk.
NOTE: LIFE INSURANCE IS INDEED A WISE INVESTMENT SPECIALLY THOSE WITH DEPENDENTS.
From what we have highlighted above it is obvious that to extract maximum value from your insurance portfolio, your portfolio needs to be based on a proper analysis of your needs.
These needs must be reviewed regularly. For further information and advice tailored to suit your unique needs, please call your Old Mutual Namibia financial adviser or broker -This article was contributed by Mathys du Preez (Manager: Retail Advice) Centre - Old Mutual Namibia
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
Share this on:
Digg
Del.icio.us
StumbleUpon
Muti
Copyright © 2008 The Namibian. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed
Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe
Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement.
HOME
allAfrica.com
Relevant Links
Southern Africa
Banking and Insurance
Economy, Business and Finance
Namibia
Centenary Bank Goes to Masaka
Govt to Probe All Banks Over Corruption Scandal
Co-Op Bank Doubles IPO Target to Sh10 Billion
Intercontinental Bank Debuts in UK
Banks Use Depositors' Money to Buy Forex
Today's Most Active Stories
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1. Zimbabwe: BBC, Stop Fanning Flames of War
2. Zimbabwe: Consensus Grows on Negotiated End to Crisis
3. Zimbabwe: Odinga Calls for AU to Suspend Mugabe
4. Nigeria: G8 Worried Over Country's Nuclear Programme
5. Zimbabwe: Mbeki Backs Mugabe in Hope of Coalition Deal
6. Zimbabwe: Mugabe Now to Crack Down on His Own Party?
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8. Zimbabwe: Situation Calls for Decisive Action
9. Liberia: President Sirleaf Arrives in Egypt for African Union Summit
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1. Zimbabwe: MDC Tsvangirai's Political Theatrics
2. Zimbabwe: Worried Over Robert Mugabe Vs. the Western World's Press?
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6. Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai - Please Grow Up
7. Zimbabwe: BBC, Stop Fanning Flames of War
8. Zimbabwe: Barack Obama Condemns Mugabe 'Brutality'
9. Zimbabwe: Tories Advocate Military Action Against Country
10. Zimbabwe: South Africa Boosts Election Legitimacy - Report
1. Zimbabwe: BBC, Stop Fanning Flames of War
2. Nigeria: G8 Worried Over Country's Nuclear Programme
3. Uganda: Archbishop Orombi's Priorities Are Wrong
4. Côte d'Ivoire: American Embassy's National Daily Press Review
5. Ethiopia: Political Landscape Worrying
6. Zimbabwe: No Support for UN Arms Embargo By China
7. Sudan: New UN-AU Chief Mediator for Darfur Appointed
8. Ghana: Scholarship Facility for ICT Students
9. Africa: Obama 'Reframes the Black Question'
10. Namibia: LLD's Striking Workers Suspended
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