Lira T-bills and Beirut land outperform Dow Jones index. Outpace U.S. three times over in 20 years

Investing in one-year treasury bills or a plot of land in Beirut over the last twenty years generates more returns than U.S. treasury bills and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), according to a new article published in the July issue of Lebanon Opportunities.

An initial investment of $100 in local T-bills in 1997 grows to $535 by the end of 2016, thus generating the highest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7 percent. The lowest return on investment is made by U.S. T-bills, wi...

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Broken promises on pledges for refugee aid. Only eight percent of required funding has been received

The international community is falling behind in its pledge to help secure over $2 billion in funding, to cover projects that aid Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities. The UN's Inter-Agency Coordination Office (UN-IAC) said that out of the $2.75 billion appealed in funding requirements for 2017, only eight percent have been received up to the end of March.

Food security received the highest allocation, with $49 million, followed by education.

The energy sector, which was...

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BLOM Bank’s shares yield highest dividend. Audi raises dividend for the first time in recent years

BLOM Bank's common shares have yielded 8.9 percent in dividends for fiscal year 2016, the highest among listed banks.

BLOM was followed by Bank Audi with a dividend yield of 8.3 percent and Byblos Bank with a yield of eight percent. The dividend yields on the common shares of Bank of Beirut and Banque BEMO were 3.5 percent and 3.1 percent respectively.

"Our strategy is to pay a dividend that is not less than the previous dividend payout," said Alexandre Mouradian, head of Investor...

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First electric car to be launched locally. Renault Twizy to retail at $19,900

Renault Twizy, will be launched by Bassoul Heneine, as the first electric car, to the local market.

Joy Zakhour from Bassoul Heneine, said: "We want to be pioneers in the electric cars in the market and we feel that the Twizy will be a good introduction for the Renault Zero Emission vehicles."

Renault Twizy will be available for sale at $19,900 including Value Added Tax (VAT) as of July 12.

The 2018 Twizy comes in three different models. It is a front-wheel drive with 17 ho...

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Kabalan Plast to open plastic furniture factory in Tebna.

Kabalan Plast will open a plastic furniture factory in the Tebna industrial zone. Construction works will be launched early next year and will be completed in 2019.

The 4,000 square meters (m2) built-up factory will be erected on a 6,000 m2 land plot.

Hussein Kabalan, major shareholder, said that the price per m2 in Tebna is $150.

"There is a shortage of industrial zones in the South," he said.

Investment in the project is estimated at $4 million. "I will borrow a...

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