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Reports on the government's threat to halt energy and raw-material supplies to ailing state-owned enterprises in China. Reason behind the government's threats; Risk of the Chinese government's planned move; Negative effect of the government's continued financing of ailing state businesses on the country's money supply.

Reports that advisors from the United States and Iraqi oil officials are leaning toward the formation of a large, state-run petroleum company, which could sharply curtail the role of international oil corporations in the region. Geopolitical and economic concerns in the region with respect to state-run oil corporations; Importance of the oil industry to the reconstruction of Iraq; Comments from Robert McKee, senior oil adviser for the occupying Coalition Provisional Authority, regarding the oil strategy focusing on the nationalization of oil and petroleum production.

The article states that Chinese state-owned banks purchased significant amounts of the Chinese currency the yuan on January 8, 2016, and January 11, 2016, that lifted the cost of borrowing the yuan to 66 percent by January 12, 2016.

The article offers tips for investors considering putting money into emerging markets as of early January 2016. It examines time frames for exchange-traded funds (ETFs), the political aspects of Chinese companies with large market capitalizations, and fees charged for active emerging-markets funds. The article also discusses the flexibility of active-funds and the active management of ETFs.

The article states that the government of Saudi Arabia was considering holding an initial public offering (IPO) for shares in state-owned oil firm Saudi Arabian Oil Co. as of early January 2016.

The article discusses criticism of the management style of Brazilian state-run petroleum organization Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobas) chief executive officer (CEO) Aldemir Bendine as of early 2016. According to the article, many Petrobas executives, board members and investors were critical of what they perceived as a lack of urgency on the part of Bendine to solve the firm's various problems. The article presents comments from Brazilian oil consultant Adriano Pires.

The article discusses difficulties experienced by Egyptian entrepreneur Naguib Sawiris related to his Cairo, Egypt, telecommunications firm Orascom Telecom Media and Technology Holding SAE in North Korea due in part to competition from state-run North Korean company Byol and trouble repatriating profits to Egypt.

The article discusses the possible risks of the potential merger of Chinese state-owned firms such as mobile phone service China Unicorn (Hong Kong) Ltd. and China Telecom Corp. and airlines China Southern Airlines Co. and Air China Ltd. as of early December 2015. According to the article, the Chinese government wished to create national companies in order to compete abroad, but the effort could lead to reduced competition.

The author argues that the potential merger of U.S. chemical companies DuPont and Dow Chemical as of early December 2015 was emblematic of a disturbing reduction of ambition among U.S. corporations. He argues that stockholder discontent due to sluggish U.S. economic growth, the rise of activist investors, and advancements by state-owned Chinese companies such as Sinochem International Corp. were driving timidity among U.S. corporations.

The article states that Chinese state-owned enterprises and high technology firms including ZTE Corp. and Spreadtrum Communications Inc. were participating in an effort to manufacture Chinese-built smartphones in an effort to protect itself from surveillance by the U.S. government and cut off U.S. smartphone operating systems and processors manufactured and powered by U.S. high technology firms such as Apple Inc., Google, and Qualcomm Inc.

The article states that Brazilian state-run oil company Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) held $127.5 billion of debt to become the world's most-leveraged petroleum firm as of September 30, 2015. According to the article, loans worth almost $24 billion were scheduled to mature in 2016 and 2017. The article states that Petrobras reported in mid-November 2015 that its total debt at the end of the third quarter of 2015 had increased 44 percent from the end of 2014.

The article states that demand for corporate bonds in China remained steady despite some state-owned and private companies such as Baoding Tianwei Group Co. and Sinosteel Corp. missing payments as of mid-November 2015. The article presents comments from ratings firm Moody's Investors Service head of greater China credit Ivan Chung.

The article states that Chinese president Xi Jinping and the Chinese government released a plan to overhaul its system of state capitalism on September 13, 2015, ahead of Xi's visit to the U.S. According to the article, the plan would permit Chinese state companies to grow and add private investors in an attempt to better compete in foreign markets and increase returns. According to the article, the plan was released by the Chinese political party the Communist Party and the Chinese State Council.

The article states that the Malaysian government received information about communications between the Singapore police and the Malaysian central bank in March 2015 concerning over $500 million in accounts belonging to Malaysian financier Jho Low. According to the article, Low assisted in the establishment of the Malaysian state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd. (1MDB) overseen by Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak. According to the article, 1MDB was the subject of an investigation over the alleged misallocation of funds.

The article discusses the facility known as Factory V of the government-owned Indian business HMT Watches Ltd. in Ranibagh, India. According to the article, the factory manufactured only four or five windup watches per day as of mid-June 2015. The article states that the Indian agency the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises indicated that the closure of the factory was being planned. It discusses the past success of HMT watches and presents comments from labor union president Mahendra Bisht.

The article discusses the impact of a letter written by Chinese hotelier Wu Hai to Chinese premier Li Keqiang in which Wu complained that private businesses and entrepreneurs were mistreated by the Chinese government in favor of state-controlled enterprises at the behest of government officials. According to the article, Wu was invited to assist the Chinese government in streamlining its bureaucracy and red tape. The article presents comments from Wu.

The article states that gains in the Shanghai, China, Stock Market, in 2015 were of great financial benefit to the Chinese government. According to the article, the Chinese government made billions of dollars in paper profits based on the stock gains of state-owned corporations listed on the exchange. The article discusses the potential impact on the Chinese economy. It also discusses the actions of the Chinese agency the China Securities Regulatory Commission.

The article discusses economic conditions in China, focusing on plans to consolidate state-owned enterprises. Topics include plans to maximize returns and list on the stock markets; the anticipated effect of the move on the size of state-owned enterprises, their role in the economy, and their efficiency; and a discussion of the likelihood of large-scale privatization.

The article reports that advisers to the Chinese government are exploring the possibility of consolidating the country's oil industry to better compete in the world market, focusing on various proposed mergers of state companies. Topics include the companies China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC), China Petrochemical Corp. (Sinopec), China National Offshore Oil Corp (Cnooc) and Sinochem Group.

The article discusses problems attendant to China's desire to shelter from private ownership and competition state-controlled firms in businesses deemed strategic by considering industrial company China National Machinery Industry Corp. (Sinomach). Sinomach's Erzhong Group unit has built manufacturing capacity for large industrial components that exceeds demand for those products. In consequence the unit is not profitable and workers have much free time.

The article discusses a quarterly 1.6% decline in same-store sales in China sustained by retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Wal-Mart executive Scott Price said efforts by the Chinese government to curb excessive consumption at state-owned businesses was having an effect on Wal-Mart. Stiffer competition in the retail sector has also been a factor.

The article discusses Chinese state-owned conglomerate Citic Group. In June of 2014 one of Citic's units, Citic Pacific Ltd., will acquire all of Citic Group's assets, with the combined firm listed on the stock exchange in Hong Kong, China. The Chinese government could take a similar approach to reforming other state-owned enterprises, which are generally regarded as inefficient and bureaucratic.

The article discusses a willingness among major oil-producing nations including Mexico and Iran to let foreign oil companies develop their reserves. Declining production and a desire for access to modern technologies such as those for hydraulic fracturing are prompting countries to look more favorably on firms they once largely shunned in favor of their own state-owned oil companies. Total SA and Chevron Corp. are among firms interested in doing business in Mexico.

The article discusses challenges facing chief executive Andriy Kobolev of Ukrainian state-controlled natural-gas company Naftogaz. Kobolev's firm gets much of its gas from Russia, which invaded Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014. Kobolev must also reform Naftogaz's practice of selling gas below cost, thus generating debts the government must pay. Kobolev's predecessor, Yevhen Bakulin, is the target of a corruption investigation.

The article reports that as of November 2012 Chinese banks are faced with political pressure to move away from primarily funding banks and state-owned enterprises and to move toward supporting consumption. Also noted are interest rate liberalization, increased competition among banks, and potential credit risks.

The article discusses the risks to multinational businesses posed by China's state capitalism. The author cites observations contained in the book "No Ancient Wisdom, No Followers: The Challenges of Chinese Authoritarian Capitalism" by James McGregor, who maintains China violates global laws on subsidies, and that its state-owned businesses conceal information from auditors by asserting it is a state secret.

The article reports that China is promoting investment by its state-controlled companies as a means of boosting economic growth. Steel and wind power are among industries in China controlled by government firms that are undertaking new investments in capacity despite existing gluts. The developments pose a setback to those who had hoped China would address its slowing economy with market-oriented reforms.

The article discusses Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, insurance companies owned by the government of Florida which sell homeowners insurance and offer reinsurance respectively. Concerns expressed by Governor Rick Scott and other public officers as well as environmental groups that the companies have become so large that the effect of a hurricane striking the state could bankrupt and the government are considered.

The article examines U.S. foreign economic relations with China, particularly commercial policy and foreign trade regulation. A shift in U.S. policy in which public officers including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have publicly criticized the government corporations of China's state capitalism economic system for violating international trade agreements and posing a threat to the U.S. economy is discussed.

The article informs that chairman of China Telecom Corp. Chang Xiaobing has been held by China's Antigraft body Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on account of his moves against executives at several state-owned companies and mentions detention of executives at China's energy sector.

The article reports that Venezuelan state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA is cutting production to fund social programs as world demand for oil rises. President Hugo Chávez is running the company to best benefit the Venezuelan people, which cuts down on oil output to wealthier countries desperate for energy.

The article describes the Russian government's decision to sell a part of the public oil company Yuganskneftegaz back to the private sector. The author comments that the decision may become the biggest initial public offering in history. Yuganskneftegaz is associated with OAO Rosneft Oil Company located in Russia.

Examines the practice of cities and towns in the United States subsidizing or owning wireless high-speed Internet access systems. Example of Granbury (Tex.), a municipality that invited a start-up telecom firm to hang wireless equipment to connect the town; Reaction of SBC Communications Inc., the dominant phone company in Texas, to Granbury's plan to purchase some of the equipment; Number of states with pending legislative bills aimed at restricting local governments' ability to provide Internet connections in areas the phone companies don't yet offer the service; How tech companies will benefit from cities around the country that contract with providers other than local telephone of cable companies to build or run networks using Wi-Fi technology; Lobbying efforts of the telecom providers.

The article reports that the French government is attempting to double its voting rights in the partnership between automobile makers Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co., which comes as more Nissan executives occupy top posts in the alliance and the Japanese company increasing its shares.

The article discusses the price of stocks in state-owned Chinese firms, such as oil refiner China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (Sinopec) and financial firm Citic Ltd., focusing on investor confidence in corporate overhauls, state control of the industries, and returns on state-owned investments.

The article discusses a plan by China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., or Sinopec, to sell a stake in its sales-and-marketing unit to private investors, marking an effort to integrate mixed public-private ownership in Chinese state-owned companies.

The article reports on the Chinese government's announced plan to limit the pay and other forms of compensation of executives at government-owned enterprises and says the plan reflects its focus on reducing corruption, which has damaged the Chinese public's view of the Chinese Communist Party.

The article presents financial industry news briefs as of July 24, 2014, stating French magistrates have placed the Swiss bank USB AG under formal investigation concerning money laundering, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved a rule making it more difficult for brokers to have customer-damage claims erased from public records, and India plans on selling more shares in state-owned companies directly to an exchange-traded fund.

The article reports on China's plans to allow outside investors take a share of state assets including the Sinopec and Sinopharm enterprises, focusing on the potential economic impacts of private capital.

The article discusses the resignation of some executives of state-owned business enterprises in Thailand, reporting that the military junta that took power in a coup may be attempting to exert control over enterprises such as the airline Thai Airways International PLC as of June 2014.

The article discusses economic aspects of state-owned sectors, including mineral and semiconductors, in China as of March 2014, with topics including return on assets for private and government-owned enterprises, the dismantling of state-owned monopolies, and China's industrial output.

The article discusses a proposal by China's State Council to expand the role of state-owned coal companies, such as China Shenhua Energy Co., China National Coal Group Corp., and Yanzhou Coal Mining Co., the environmental impact of coal use, and the reform's impact on local revenues.

The article looks at Chinese economic policy as of November 2013, noting the economic plans promulgated by the Chinese Communist Party under Chinese President Xi Jinping do not include significant changes to the state-owned enterprise (SOE) sector and discussing SOE's political influence.

The article discusses a 2013 economic crisis in Slovenia and the government's decision to sell off and privatize 15 state-owned enterprises including insurance companies and consumer good manufacturers that were previously funded by loans from state-owned banks.

The article looks at various ways Chinese consumers are finding to overcome limitations imposed by government regulations and monopolistic government-owned enterprises as of 2013, discussing investment products as well as mobile device applications for getting a taxi and for Internet messaging.

The article discusses steps announced by the Slovenian government on May 9, 2013 aimed at preventing the need for a bailout of its struggling economy and debt-laden banking system, among them increases in its main value-added tax and the sale of several state-owned enterprises.

The article notes concerns some countries have about investments in their domestic industries by China's state-owned enterprises, and discusses proposals for establishing rules for such firms including one from U.S. attorney Robert Kimmitt that would establish a round of international negotiations on state-owned businesses.

The article discusses the arrest of Duong Chi Dung, the former chief of a state-owned shipping company in Vietnam, with a focus on economic conditions in Vietnam as of 2012 and government investigations regarding allegations of corruption at state-owned enterprises.