Foreign Investments

President Bush signed legislation Monday intended to restrict U.S. investment in Sudan, despite his administration's concern that it improperly gives state and local governments a hand in foreign policy. The House and Senate, ignoring the administration's objections, approved the bill unanimously, and Bush signed it at his home near here.

Strolling through the chilly aisles of a large grocery store here, Jeffrey Clark was warmed by the thought of all the potential new business awaiting his company. "You see how cold it is in here?" asked Clark, president and chief executive of Anthony International, a Sylmar glassmaker specializing in doors for commercial refrigerators. Western-style supermarkets in China have been around for only a decade, and few have coverings for their coolers and freezers.

Panden Rota, a Nepalese producer of fine rugs, is about to become a Manhattanite, the owner of a sumptuous apartment in the luxurious downtown neighborhood of Battery Park City. His primary residence will remain Katmandu, but his new home will enable him to spend more time at U.S. showrooms that display his rugs and with a brother and sister in New York. "I looked at many places and I decided that a Manhattan apartment will always hold its value," he said.

Foreign banks trying to gain a foothold in booming Vietnam face a tough cultural barrier: Most people don't use banks, and many don't trust them. Instead, they stash their money at home and rely on informal lending networks of family and friends for loans. "Banks require too much paperwork, and the charges are too high," said Cao Thi Dong, 40, a housekeeper. "If I borrow from people I know, I can get a much better interest rate."