INTERNATIONAL. Will Chancellor Angela Merkel be forced to spend rather than save? Like President Hollande, Germany's opposition Social Democrat Party (SPD) is calling for a growth package that would draw on existing funds and not create new debt.
INTERNATIONAL. Bahrain has maintained its position as a key insurance hub and continues to post growth in its insurance market despite a prolonged period of political turbulence.
UAE. "The general trading atmosphere is sufficiently negative for gold to enable sellers to have a firm grip on the market. However, I fail to see how the rally in the stock markets can be put into any sensible relation to the economic plight of the underlying countries."