The News Journal

Assets under management in the Middle East, which increased 52 per cent over the past three years, are set to grow further as oil and gas prices continue to rise. A rally in oil prices, up more than 60 per cent over the past year and hovering above $100 a barrel, along with soaring natural gas prices are helping to drive private capital's improved fortunes in the Middle East, alternative assets industry data and analytics specialist Preqin said in a report on Thursday. Natural gas prices in the US soared to a 14-year high this month and they surged in Europe as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its third month. Preqin said: "The ongoing conflict in Ukraine alongside the continued post-pandemic economic resurgence is pushing commodity prices higher, creating short-term opportunities. "But in the long-term, Europe’s governments are looking to reduce reliance on imported hydrocarbons. Efforts to increase energy independence and step away from imported hydrocarbons h...

 After more than a decade, Americans are once again spending more on Swiss watches than anyone. One big reason is that they are thinking differently about them. Call it less bling, more investing. During the pandemic in the US, there has been a boom in the value of collectibles of all sorts — from baseball cards to vintage video games. The reasons are many, but one central catalyst is that people had more time and fewer ways to spend their money. That led to almost anything with scarcity being seen as an investment and finding a robust secondary market. The rising tide lifted Switzerland's high-end watch industry, with prices surging. Watches by Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet are displayed in Geneva. “It has become an investment piece,” said 68-year-old Albert Ganjei, who, as founder of Boston-based European Watch Company, has been selling timepieces for nearly three decades. “It has totally changed.” While some watches are so coveted that they sell for millions at auction — a Pa...