Attractive Investment Opportunities Research Articles

Optimization of a syngas-fueled SOFC-based multigeneration system: Enhanced performance with biomass and gasification agent selection

In light of abundant sources of biomass feedstocks and regarding the higher performance in syngas-fueled-based SOFC systems, this work proposes a novel multigeneration system based on the combination of syngas-fuel SOFC, Kalina cycle, humidification-dehumidification desalination unit, and proton exchange membrane electrolyzer. This system is designed for simultaneous production of power, heating, freshwater, and hydrogen. Comprehensive energy, exergy, exergoeconomic, environmental, and economic analyses have been conducted to evaluate its performance. The optimum input biomasses, gasification agents, and operating conditions were determined using a coupled approach of an artificial neural network, multi-objective Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm, and the Linear Programming Technique for Multidimensional Analysis of Preference decision-making method. Under base input conditions, the energy and exergy efficiencies of the proposed system were found to be 53.66 % and 38.2 %, respectively. The system also demonstrated the capability to produce 0.1633 kg/s of freshwater and generate a net power output of 377.6 kW. The results indicate that using oxygen-enriched air in the gasification process notably enhances efficiency while reducing emissions. Straw and CO₂ were identified as the optimal feedstock and gasification agent, yielding an exergy efficiency of 42.71 % and a total product cost of 6.29 $/GJ at the optimum point. Moreover, with a selling price of $0.20/kWh for electricity and a fuel cost of $6/GJ, the system can achieve total revenue of approximately $1.65 million with a payback period of 4.01 years. These findings underscore the proposed plant's profitability under specific pricing conditions, making it an attractive investment opportunity.

ПОТРЕБИ СЕКТОРІВ ЕКОНОМІКИ УКРАЇНИ В ІНОЗЕМНИХ ІНВЕСТИЦІЯХ У ЗВ’ЯЗКУ ЗІ ЗБИТКАМИ ВІД ВІЙНИ

The article explores the economic repercussions of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, focusing on the damage inflicted and the subsequent need for recovery. It identifies the most impacted sectors – residentialconstruction, industry, logistics, and education – as a not only requiring significant aid but also presenting attractive investment opportunities. The analysis extends to potential investment avenues across these sectors, emphasizing the importance of foreign aid and strategic government intervention to secure foreign investment. Infrastructure, particularly housing, is pinpointed as a critical area for investment to support the return of refugees and internally displaced persons in the post-war period. Despite considerable losses, the industrial and trade sectors, including the military-industrial complex, logistics, and education, are highlighted for their investment potential. The energy sector, deemed strategically crucial, faces challenges from mine-infested territories and the European Union’s ambitious renewable energy targets. Yet, it retains its competitiveness and ability to attract investments amidst the conflict. The article calls attention to significant obstacles, such as the dependency on fossil fuels and the need to align with the EU’s renewable energy ambitions.

The Sharia Funding Risk Issues in Fintech Securities Crowdfunding: Realization of Legal Certainty in the Shari'ah Perspective

Introduction: In the era of globalization and information technology, fintech is transforming the financial sector, including fintech securities crowdfunding, which is a funding model based on the participation of many small investors. In the context of sharia, sharia principles regulate financial transactions and services, while crowdfunding fintech securities is a popular phenomenon in sharia funding, but requires investor protection regarding investment risk and legal protection.Purposes of the Research: To analyze the legal certainty of protection for investors who invest in Islamic funding through fintech securities crowdfunding in Indonesia and analyze the risks faced by investors in this context.Methods of the Research: This study uses qualitative normative legal research methods to understand legal certainty and investor protection in Islamic funding through Fintech Securities Crowdfunding. Data collection was carried out through literature study and then analyzed qualitatively to identify patterns, themes and related issues.Results of the Research: Sharia funding through Fintech Securities Crowdfunding in Indonesia provides attractive Islamic investment opportunities but also involves various risks such as business risk, liquidity, legal, sharia, and others. Legal certainty regulated by Financial Services Authorityand Sharia Supervisory Board is the key in providing protection to investors. OJK regulations ensure information transparency and compliance with sharia principles, so that investors can invest with confidence according to sharia values. Thus, an investment ecosystem that has integrity and is inclusive within the sharia framework can be realized.

Quantile time-frequency connectedness among G7 stock markets and clean energy markets

The rapid growth of clean energy markets as a distinct asset class has attracted significant investor attention. This study examines the interdependence between G7 stock markets and clean energy indices, specifically Renewable Energy Generation (REG), Energy Efficiency (EE), Advanced Materials (AM), and Clean Fuels (CF). Using a state-of-the-art volatility connectedness network and Maximum Overlaps Discrete Wavelet Transform (MODWT), we investigate the quantile time-frequency connectedness among the markets. Our findings reveal strong volatility linkages among all markets, with the exception of Clean Fuels, which has the least connection. We also observe higher dynamic spillover effects under extreme market conditions than normal conditions, with the US market being the most important transmitter of spillovers under bullish markets. Additionally, we highlight the importance of considering the time-varying nature of connectedness, emphasizing the heterogeneity between short-run, medium-run, and long-run transmission. Our study's implications suggest that investors should consider the dynamic nature of spillovers and connectedness when constructing portfolios containing clean energy and G7 stock market assets. The results also imply that the US market's performance has a substantial impact on other markets under bullish conditions, and that Clean Fuels may present an attractive investment opportunity for diversification purposes due to its relative independence.

Techno-economic assessment of plant-based meat analogue produced by the freeze alignment technique

Plant-based meat (PBM) analogues have been developed as a meat substitute in response to the growing demand worldwide. This is partially attributed to changes in human consumption behaviors motivated by the desire for a lifestyle with a smaller environmental impact and the belief that PBMs are healthier than traditional meat. This study conducted a techno-economic assessment (TEA) of PBM production from soy protein using an industrial-scale freeze-alignment technique with an annual production capacity of 100 tons. The calculation result showed that the raw material and labor costs accounted for 32.09 % and 23.53 % of the total production cost, respectively, which resulted in the PBM minimum selling price of 1.18 USD/100 g. Economic indicators showed that the project is an attractive investment opportunity with a positive net present value of 4.05 million USD, discounted payback period of 4.4 years, and an internal rate of return of 29.67 %. By streamlining the production process, which contributed to the reduction in time, labor, raw materials, and energy requirements, the potential for cost reduction and increased project profitability could be realized. This study serves as an initial exploration of the challenges associated with enhancing the efficiency and competitiveness of PBM production in the meat market in the foreseeable future.

Economic Feasibility of Modified Cassava Flour Milling in Gunungkidul Region, Indonesia: A Value-Added Agribusiness Venture

This study embarked on the evaluation of the feasibility of constructing a Modified Cassava Flour (MOCAF) mill in the Gunungkidul Region of Indonesia, a significant cassava producer yet underutilizing its potential due to traditional, low-yield production techniques. The goal was to enhance MOCAF production and leverage its benefits, such as a low glycemic index, to meet contemporary dietary trends. Employing cost-benefit analysis, supported by key financial metrics including Net Present Value (NPV) and Payback Period (PP), we sought to establish the financial viability of this proposed agribusiness venture. Our analysis covered various factory feasibility aspects including market, marketing, technical, technological, human resources, management, environmental, legality, and risk factors. Results indicated the feasibility of the MOCAF mill construction in KWT Ngudi Rejeki, Ngestirejo, Tanjungsari, Gunungkidul DIY, both in operational and financial terms. The mill’s projected payback period was significantly shorter than the maximum threshold (6 years versus 10 years), and the NPV was positive at IDR 49,587,106 over ten years. This study implies that developing MOCAF mills could be a strategic move towards agro-industrial development and food security, advancing the value addition of cassava and providing an attractive investment opportunity for stakeholders in the agribusiness sector.

Development of the Methodology for Residential Investment Management During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Investing in residential property is a good investment instrument for individuals. The benefit of investing in a residential property is the potential for long-term appreciation in value. Historically, property values have increased over time, providing a solid return on investment for those who hold onto their properties for a significant amount; property provides a source of passive income through rental income. Investing in property is an attractive investment opportunity in emerging markets. Turkey is considered an emerging market. Like many emerging markets, it faces several economic and political challenges, including high inflation, a large current account deficit, and political instability. Investing in property in emerging markets also comes with certain risks, including currency fluctuations, political instability, and uncertain legal and regulatory environments. During the SARS outbreak, the property market in Hong Kong was significantly affected. The Spanish flu pandemic had a significant impact on the property market. During the 19th-century cholera pandemics, there were instances of substantial disruption to property markets. The COVID-19 had significant impacts on the residential market. Developing a methodology for individuals to use for their residential investment can be challenging, as it requires consideration of various factors. There are a variety of resources available for individuals who are interested in learning more about investing in property, and people are able to educate themselves in the field of property investment. In this study, we examined individuals' residential property investments in Turkey during COVID-19, and the factors that influenced their investments. We examined whether individuals' consideration of a single advantage in residential investments provides them with financial benefits. We examined the parameters that residential investors can follow to achieve success with their investments.

Economic Consequences of Transparency Regulation: Evidence from Bank Mortgage Lending

ABSTRACTWe examine the economic consequences of a rule designed to improve consumers' understanding of mortgage information. The 2015 TILA‐RESPA Integrated Disclosures rule (TRID) simplifies the mortgage disclosures provided to consumers. As a consequence, TRID‐affected mortgages become a less attractive investment opportunity to banks. Our main results document that mortgage applications affected by TRID are less likely to be approved following the rule's effective date. We find evidence consistent with both a decrease in consumers' information processing costs and an increase in banks' secondary market frictions, providing insight into the potential channels through which this reduction in mortgage credit operates. We also find that banks partially compensate for reduced mortgage lending by increasing small business lending, and that fintechs absorb mortgage demand in areas with reduced mortgage lending by banks. Our study documents real actions that firms take in response to disclosure transparency regulation and contributes to the literature on the economic consequences of such regulation.

The Credit Suisse CoCo wipeout: Facts, misperceptions, and lessons for financial regulation

The Credit Suisse CoCo wipeout: Facts, misperceptions, and lessons for financial regulation

A multi-criteria approach to rating Metaverse games

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) took the already profitable gaming industry to a whole new level. Before that, people would pay to buy games, and there were also some in-game purchases. But now every item in games is an NFT, and different NFTs have different prices. A lot of users consider NFT metaverse games an investment opportunity. Therefore, it is vital to evaluate these metaverse games and rate them to find the most attractive investment opportunities. In this paper, we develop a framework for rating NFT metaverse games by considering their various risks and potential upsides through the PROMETHEE II method. Specially, we design a flip ratio that can take into account both the opportunity to flip another cryptocurrency and the risk of being flipped by another cryptocurrency. Our new flip ratio could be a very useful measure of risk-opportunity analysis. We also analyze the crash risk of NFT game tokens' prices through a non-parametric value at risk analysis, which is compatible with the volatile nature of cryptocurrency prices.

Turning Sargassum Seaweed into a Successful Business Investment with a Focus on ESG Finance

Sargassum seaweed, once considered primarily a nuisance, holds significant potential for sustainable business investment. The recent surge in sargassum blooms presents challenges for coastal communities but also creates opportunities for innovative solutions. This paper explores how businesses focused on sargassum removal, processing, and product development can align with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) finance principles. By addressing pollution mitigation, job creation, and the development of sustainable products, sargassum-based businesses can offer attractive investment opportunities to ESG-focused investors. This research examines potential business models, promising product applications, and the key factors for success in attracting ESG finance within the sargassum value chain.

Constructing agri-food for finance: startups, venture capital and food future imaginaries

Over the past decade, investments in agricultural and food technology startups have grown to previously unknown dimensions. Mushrooming agri-food tech startups that promise to solve critical issues in the agri-food system through technological innovation are increasingly perceived as an attractive new investment opportunity for venture capitalists and investors. This paper investigates how digital agri-food technologies are narrated, constructed, and promoted for financial investment. Through qualitative content analysis of agri-food tech industry reports, articles, and commentaries we trace the logic, rationales, and narratives of this most recent investment rush, and reveal its immanent techno-finance fixes. We conceptualize the agri-food imaginaries produced within the agri-food tech discourse as financialized imaginaries, and argue that they are specifically tailored to construct, incentivize, and legitimize this new agri-food tech space for financial investment. In their attempt to raise money from investors, venture capital firms further fuel this development by discursively creating an ‘agri-food tech investment rush’—similar to the land and gold rushes of the past. Investments in agri-food tech startups, however, are presented to investors as both a profitable investment opportunity as well as a moral obligation, allowing for food production to cope with neo-malthusian and environmental threats. This paper contributes to our understanding of digitization as a socio-technical project, which includes the active envisioning and promotion of desirable agri-food futures.

The Nepali diaspora’s role in national development

United Nations data shows that the number of global diaspora had reached 281 million in 2020, and it continues to grow. Diasporas have contributed significantly to the development of their native lands through remittance, technology and knowledge transfer, philanthropy, and diplomacy. Many countries have designed policies to engage the diaspora more deeply by providing concessional citizenship and visa regimes, and attractive investment opportunities. Yet, there is room for improvement in policies and programs to enhance these prospects. Since the 2010s, the size and expanse of Nepali diaspora has grown dramatically, the number of permanent expatriates in the more developed parts of the world reaching about 800,000 in 2022. In addition, at any time, there are 2–3 million temporary migrants from Nepal working in foreign countries outside of India. With the enhanced level of education and experience, and their growing economic prowess, the Nepali diaspora is in a strong position to become a significant partner in Nepal’s development efforts. The diaspora’s potential contribution to Nepal’s development remains vastly underutilized for mainly two policy-related reasons. The Nepali government’s supporting policies, regulations, and programs to effectively engage the diaspora are inadequate. The diaspora groups too have not been able to fully assess and chart out their capacities, and create proper institutional, and policy mechanisms to mobilize their resources. This paper reviews some examples of diaspora in development, and the current situation of the Nepali diaspora, and provide recommendations for improving the strategies, policies, and programs both for the diaspora, and the Nepali government, and for similar developing countries.

Debt maturity structure and firm investment in the financially constrained environment

PurposeThe financial policies of the modern world corporations and their investment decisions are generally considered as interrelated because the agency problems, associated with the debt level and its maturity structure, give rise to incentives for overinvestment or underinvestment. The present study empirically investigates the linkage between debt maturity structure and firm investment in a financially constrained environment, using Pakistan as a case study, to determine how the institutional environment in which firms operate affect these decisions and their linkage.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical analysis is carried in a panel data setting using panel regression models as the baseline methods. Moreover, generalized methods of moments (GMM) estimators are used, coupled with the instrumental variables approach, for robustness and improving the efficiency and consistency of estimates.FindingsResults suggest that firms rely more on short financing in Pakistan. Thus, given the capital structure which is characterized by higher proportion of short-term financing, the higher level of leverage is less likely to cause underinvestment problem. However, the underinvestment problem do persists in the firms that have higher portion of long-term debt. These findings imply that the debt-overhang problem may persist even in the financially constrained environments where attractive investment opportunities are limited, and long-term financing is difficult to acquire.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by revealing how corporate investment and financing decisions and their linkage is influenced by the institutional environment of the less developed countries which is characterized by underdeveloped financial markets, inefficient legal system and weak investor protection system.

Improving Governance in Major Infrastructure Projects

From an economic growth perspective, infrastructure is not only an enabling factor for development or for facilitating private investments and competitiveness across all sectors of national and regional economies, but can also be an attractive investment opportunity in itself. Although infrastructure investment opportunities are plentiful across developing countries, investors are not fully seizing them, often due to gaps in the enabling environment for such investment. The infrastructure sector presents specific risks to private investors and since private participation in infrastructure delivery is a relatively recent form of procurement in many countries, governments do not necessarily have the experience and capacity needed to effectively manage these risks. Beyond case-by-case project preparation and financing, concrete, implementation-oriented guidance that can help governments identify and manage reforms is needed to make the broader infrastructure investment environment more open to private participation.

Accuracy and Predictive Power of Sell-Side Target Prices for Global Clean Energy Companies

Target prices are often provided as a support for stock recommendations by sell-side analysts which represent an explicit estimate of the expected future value of a company’s stock. This research focuses on mean target prices for stocks contained in the Standard and Poor’s Global Clean Energy Index during the time period from 2009 to 2020. The accuracy of mean target prices for these global clean energy stocks at any point during a 12-month period (Year-Highest) is 68.1% and only 46.6% after exactly 12 months (Year-End). A random forest and an SVM classification model were trained for both a Year-End and a Year-Highest target and compared to a random model. The random forest demonstrates the best results with an average accuracy of 73.24% for the Year-End target and 81.15% for the Year-Highest target. The analysis of the variables shows that for all models the mean target price is the most relevant variable, whereas the number of target prices appears to be highly relevant as well. Moreover, the results indicate that following the rare positive predictions of the random forest for the highest target return groups (“30% to 70%” and “Above 70%”) may potentially represent attractive investment opportunities.

A formal framework for the RBV: Resource dynamics as a Markov process

AbstractResearch SummaryThis article introduces a formal framework for long‐term resource dynamics under uncertainty. Firms' resource positions are identified with states in a stochastic Markov process. Two stylized examples implementing the framework illustrate how it can yield new strategic insights. One such insight is the attractiveness paradox. Shorter‐lived resources might seem less attractive for the simple reason that they will yield returns for a shorter time period. However, the model in this article shows that when accounting for the full competitive dynamics such seemingly less attractive resources can sometimes yield a more attractive investment opportunity. The ultimate goal of introducing the Markov framework is to provide new directions for resource‐based view research based on formal and simulation models, while retaining the verbal theory's richness and intuitive appeal.Managerial SummaryA firm's resources (the assets and capabilities it has access to) vis‐à‐vis its competitors are the equivalent of the positions of pieces on a chessboard. They represent the “state” of the game, and each player tries to optimize this state in its favor. What sets apart the game of business from the game of chess is uncertainty: while in chess making a move leads to a certain outcome on the board, making an investment usually does not carry such guarantees, especially if it is in an intangible resource such as technology. This article introduces the mathematical tools to study strategic investments in the game of business, inherently incorporating uncertainty and long‐term competitive dynamics.

RETRACTED: Role of foreign direct investment – As a strategic move towards growth, economic integration and development

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with its developed economy and advanced technological infrastructure has shown a major progress in business opportunities for overseas investors. Saudi Arabia’s education sector is one of the most attractive investment opportunities for the foreign investors Earlier in 2019, 9 new foreign education enterprises were granted investor licenses, amounting to a total of $141mn of investment deals. The Saudi government introduced Saudi Vision 2030, an aspiring development plan that foresees vital prospects for foreign investors in the regions of education, housing, health and energy, amongst others. In 2016, Saudi Arabia permitted the procurement of 100% of assets by foreign investors in retail and wholesale trade. A privatisation program has also been introduced. The government also attempts to attract FDI in the regions of renewable energy and entertainment. A foreign direct investment (FDI) plays a vital role in local and international economy. Several opportunities and ventures are encouraged by Saudi Arabia to improve the standard of business and economical environments. To accomplish the finances for the projects SAGIA, the lawful authority is there to smooth the progress of investments, which encourages Saudi FDI prospective to grow simultaneously. FDI has a greater scope for diverse businesses and investing in to underdeveloped industrial sectors. FDI plays an important role in boosting the economy of Saudi Arabia by managing international investors who shares the huge portion of 34% in General GDP (Gross domestic product) of Saudi Arabia. This paper aims to review the literature to shed light on the steps taken by the government to increase FDI in the country and what are the current trends that are helping to fulfil VISION 2030.

Africa Set To Fuel Asian Growth and Its Own Brighter Future

Africa is on track to becoming the world’s most populous region by 2023 as growth in the continent’s population surpasses that of China and India; between 2020 and 2040, one in every two births will be African, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The problem—and the opportunity—is that three-quarters of those new global citizens living in sub-Saharan Africa will live without access to electricity and other energy-driven staples of the modern world. “More than half a billion people [will be] added to Africa’s urban population by 2040, much higher than the growth seen in China’s urban population in the two decades of China’s economic and energy boom,” IEA noted in its Africa Energy Outlook 2019. “Growing urban populations mean rapid growth in energy demand for industrial production, cooling, and mobility,” IEA analysts wrote. “The projected growth in oil demand is higher than that of China and second only to that of India as the size of the car fleet more than doubles (the bulk of which have low fuel efficiency) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is increasingly used for clean cooking.” With regards to gas, Africa is on track to becoming the third-largest region to feed the growth in global gas demand over the next 20 years, the IEA said (Fig. 1). Africa accounted for 8.8% of the world’s oil production in 2019, according to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2020. Nigeria was Africa’s top oil producer at 2.2%; Algeria was next at 1.6%; then Angola, 1.5%; and Libya, 1.3%. BP economists calculated Africa contributed 6.0% to the world’s natural gas production in 2019. They ranked Algeria as the continent’s top gas producer at a global share of 2.2% followed by Egypt, 1.6%, and Nigeria, 1.2%. Africa’s hydrocarbon-producing nations have always depended on fossil fuel and mineral exports for the foreign exchange that feeds their economies. But as the continent’s population grows and its demographics become younger and more urban, Africa is revealing itself as a “barefoot shoemaker”—wealthy to the extreme in fossil fuels and renewables, but with three-quarters of its sub-Saharan population living without electricity. Africa’s R/P (reserves-to-production) ratio is about half that of the Middle East and a quarter of first-place South America. But it is worth asking if South America’s high R/P is not due to years of high-profile exploration, while Africa—with a west-coastal geology similar to South America’s east coast—is simply underexplored. The World Bank has declared 32 of the continent’s 48 nations to be in an energy crisis considering that their gross domestic product (GDP) growth is outpacing power generation by a factor of three to four times. Investment is vital to turning this situation around, and the most attractive investment opportunities pre-pandemic were found in Nigeria, Mozambique, Egypt, Mauritania, and Equatorial Guinea, according to the organizers of Africa Oil Week (AOW), an exploration and production (E&P) investment conference held annually for 27 years.

Can Financial Economics Cure Cancer?

Funding for early-stage biomedical innovation has become more difficult to secure at the same time that medical breakthroughs seem to be occurring at ever increasing rates. One explanation for this counterintuitive trend is that increasing scientific knowledge can actually lead to greater economic risk for investors in the life sciences. While the Human Genome Project, high-throughput screening, genetic biomarkers, immunotherapies, and gene therapies have made a tremendously positive impact on biomedical research and, consequently, patient lives, they have also increased the cost and complexity of the drug development process, causing many investors to shift their assets to more attractive investment opportunities. This suggests that new business models and financing strategies can be used to reduce the risk and increase the attractiveness of biomedical innovation so as to bring new and better therapies to patients faster.