International Credit

Other than oil, the telecommunications industry has been a major area of growth in Nigeria in recent years but only a few companies are publicly traded.

The Nigerian government took the unusual step last week of urging the country's telecommunications companies to become publicly listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) face regulatory penalties, according to an article in Bella Naija, a Nigerian online media outlet.

A combination of factors make this EU country, and its capital market, the one to watch when monitoring the credit and financial risks of Europe.

In the immediate aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, one European country was spared the worst of the debt crisis even though it had as much debt as any other EU country.  It's avoidance of early trouble and potential for big trouble make this country a bellweather for EU solvency. 

Although a key market, China's economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in five key respects, according to the country's own publicly-traded companies. "Everybody wants a piece of China."

Ancient Chinese philosopher Laozi, the founder of Taoism, said in the sixth century B.C., "Rule a big country as you would fry a small fish [with little stirring]...the more prohibitions there are, the poorer the people become."  In this article, CreditPulse reports on the five key economic risks related to doing business in China.

Many of Spain's banks are in real trouble although the country's two largest -- Banco Santander and BBVA -- appear to be holding steady.  "Bad debts held by Spanish banks are at a 17-year high."

The Spanish government's decision to nationalize Bankia SA, the country's fourth largest bank, last week with a $24 billion bailout, the largest in Spain's history, effectively served notice that Spain's banking problems are worse than previously thought.