Forbes: What You Need To Know About Oil Prices And Venezuela's Drama

By SIMON CONSTABLE

What happens next in Venezuela's political drama could have a profound impact on oil prices. Read more here.

Middle East Eye: Bleak Economic Outlook for Mid East in 2019

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Falling oil output together with restrained government spending looks set to blight some key economies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) over the coming year, with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman expected to be particularly hard hit.

However, analysts say whether the economic slowdown results in more political instability across the region will depend on how governments choose to react. Read more here.

Forbes: Reasons To Start Betting On Gold Miners

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Changes in the gold mining industry should be good for investors in the sector. It's about time too. Read more here.

Photo by Zlaťáky.cz on Unsplash

Barron's: Never Mind Brexit. This U.K. Retailer Is a Buy.

By SIMON CONSTABLE

While many retailers are getting shredded on Main Street, Britain’s WH Smith is bucking the trend by pursuing growth globally, catering to travelers in airports and railway stations. “Profits are organically moving away from the High Street to the travel side,” Laith Khalaf, a senior analyst at United Kingdom financial-services firm Hargreaves Lansdown, told Barron’s. “In an airport, you’re a captive audience for retailers.” Read more here.

Korn Ferry: The Economic Slowdown Is Already Here

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The International Monetary Fund delivered a message this week few business leaders ever want to hear.

The IMF cut its forecast for world economic growth for 2019 to 3.5% from 3.7%. While only a small change on a percentage basis, it could still mean nearly $1.8 trillion less economic output, if the IMF’s forecast is accurate. Christine Lagarde, the IMF’s chairwoman, attributed the revision to the slowing Chinese economy, the China-U.S. trade war, and Brexit. Read more here.

Barron's: Battered British Defense Stock Will Mount New Charge

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The United Kingdom-based defense company BAE Systems has been taking flak of late. The stock has dropped because of the company’s Saudi Arabian ties and now presents an opportunity for investors to buy cheap shares with good prospects for capital gains and dividend growth.

“BAE has an attractive valuation relative to the sector and market,” according to a recent report from European bank Berenberg. “Underlying cash generation is set to steadily improve from 2019 estimates, driven by growth in profits,” the firm noted. Read more here.

Korn Ferry: Brexit -- Dealing With Dramatic Defeat

By SIMON CONSTABLE

There’s defeat, and then there’s crushing defeat. 

UK Prime Minister Theresa May suffered the latter Tuesday evening after losing a parliamentary vote on her Brexit deal 432 to 202. The United Kingdom’s national broadcasting organization BBC calls it “the largest defeat for a sitting government in history.” May now must face a vote of no confidence in the House of Commons prompted by the leader of Britain’s opposition party, Jeremy Corbyn. Read more here.