United States Foreign Investments Middle East

When Intel Corp. went looking for skilled engineers in the early 1970s, Dov Frohman, an Israeli citizen and inventor of the erasable programmable read-only memory chip, suggested his homeland. Two decades later, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based semiconductor giant has become a key part of Israel's high-tech boom, investing several hundred million dollars in a design center and semiconductor plant. Now Intel plans another $1-billion chip plant in Kirat Gat, 30 miles outside Jerusalem.

Planet Hollywood International Inc. is seeking to speed construction of restaurants overseas by offering new financial incentives to one of the company's primary franchisees, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia. The billionaire investor, a nephew of Saudi Arabia's King Fahd, has agreed to develop Planet Hollywood restaurants in 23 countries in the Middle East and Europe.

Trading cash for cachet, a Middle Eastern investment group announced Wednesday that it has agreed to buy the prestigious Saks Fifth Avenue fashion chain for a hefty $1.5 billion from its British owners. The surprise winning bid by Investcorp, a firm founded by Persian Gulf investors in 1982, was $200 million to $300 million higher than the top price that industry analysts had predicted.

When Intel Corp. went looking for skilled engineers in the early 1970s, Dov Frohman, an Israeli citizen and inventor of the erasable programmable read-only memory chip, suggested his homeland. Two decades later, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based semiconductor giant has become a key part of Israel's high-tech boom, investing several hundred million dollars in a design center and semiconductor plant. Now Intel plans another $1-billion chip plant in Kirat Gat, 30 miles outside Jerusalem.

The parent company of the Carl's Jr. fast-food restaurant chain said Wednesday that it will open its first Middle Eastern outlets in four countries. Carl Karcher Enterprises Inc. said Dariah Management Services Co. has been licensed to open Carl's Jr. restaurants in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt. Dariah, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is one of the largest privately owned catering firms in the Middle East. The first Carl's Jr.

In an exciting world of new beginnings from Moscow to Mexico, it is tempting to see the Middle East as a permanent slum. Even as the United States and Soviet Union agreed last week to convene a Middle East peace conference, many experts foresaw no change for an area marked by murderous hatreds since biblical times. One year after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, the political and economic chaos that has become synonymous with the region continues. But looking backward is too easy.

Americans looking at news reports might think that little has changed in the Middle East as a result of the Gulf War. Saddam Hussein, although reduced in power, remains on top in Iraq. The Kuwaitis are back in their homeland, but like the Bourbon kings after the French Revolution, they seem in some ways to have "learned nothing and forgotten nothing." Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir has stated publicly that the war has left the region "unchanged."

Amid the whirring of sewing machines at California Sun, a firm in Los Angeles' bustling garment district, the conversation these days is about the prospect of bloodshed in the Persian Gulf. "This morning, we were talking about what will happen if there is a war," said Irma Martinez, a 42-year-old sewing machine operator from El Salvador. "We think everything will be harder; food will cost more, and work will slow down.

Planet Hollywood International Inc. is seeking to speed construction of restaurants overseas by offering new financial incentives to one of the company's primary franchisees, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia. The billionaire investor, a nephew of Saudi Arabia's King Fahd, has agreed to develop Planet Hollywood restaurants in 23 countries in the Middle East and Europe.

Toys R Us Inc. said Tuesday that it will franchise new stores in the Middle East and open 115 more company-owned stores in other regions in its most ambitious expansion to date. The world's largest children's specialty retailer also said it will buy back up to $1 billion in company stock over the next few years. The stock closed at $38.75 a share Tuesday, up 50 cents on the New York Stock Exchange.

Toys R Us Inc. said Tuesday that it will franchise new stores in the Middle East and open 115 more company-owned stores in other regions in its most ambitious expansion to date. The world's largest children's specialty retailer also said it will buy back up to $1 billion in company stock over the next few years. The stock closed at $38.75 a share Tuesday, up 50 cents on the New York Stock Exchange.

The parent company of the Carl's Jr. fast-food restaurant chain said Wednesday that it will open its first Middle Eastern outlets in four countries. Carl Karcher Enterprises Inc. said Dariah Management Services Co. has been licensed to open Carl's Jr. restaurants in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt. Dariah, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is one of the largest privately owned catering firms in the Middle East. The first Carl's Jr.

In an exciting world of new beginnings from Moscow to Mexico, it is tempting to see the Middle East as a permanent slum. Even as the United States and Soviet Union agreed last week to convene a Middle East peace conference, many experts foresaw no change for an area marked by murderous hatreds since biblical times. One year after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, the political and economic chaos that has become synonymous with the region continues. But looking backward is too easy.

Americans looking at news reports might think that little has changed in the Middle East as a result of the Gulf War. Saddam Hussein, although reduced in power, remains on top in Iraq. The Kuwaitis are back in their homeland, but like the Bourbon kings after the French Revolution, they seem in some ways to have "learned nothing and forgotten nothing." Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir has stated publicly that the war has left the region "unchanged."

It may seem foolish, even improper, to think of finance and investments with American forces on the brink of war. But it's inescapable. The gyrations of financial markets are part of the daily crisis story, as hopes and fears drive stocks, bonds and the price of oil. Moreover, the world of finance is looked to for guidance. Financial experts are called upon to explain the economic underpinnings of the conflict and to gauge war's effect on the economy.

Amid the whirring of sewing machines at California Sun, a firm in Los Angeles' bustling garment district, the conversation these days is about the prospect of bloodshed in the Persian Gulf. "This morning, we were talking about what will happen if there is a war," said Irma Martinez, a 42-year-old sewing machine operator from El Salvador. "We think everything will be harder; food will cost more, and work will slow down.

It may seem foolish, even improper, to think of finance and investments with American forces on the brink of war. But it's inescapable. The gyrations of financial markets are part of the daily crisis story, as hopes and fears drive stocks, bonds and the price of oil. Moreover, the world of finance is looked to for guidance. Financial experts are called upon to explain the economic underpinnings of the conflict and to gauge war's effect on the economy.

The largest shareholder of Smith Barney Inc.--a group of wealthy Mideast investors--has put up for sale its 22% stake in the closely held holding company for Smith Barney, Harris Upham & Co. A spokesman for the securities firm said he didn't know the circumstances surrounding the sale or the amount sought by the group.

Trading cash for cachet, a Middle Eastern investment group announced Wednesday that it has agreed to buy the prestigious Saks Fifth Avenue fashion chain for a hefty $1.5 billion from its British owners. The surprise winning bid by Investcorp, a firm founded by Persian Gulf investors in 1982, was $200 million to $300 million higher than the top price that industry analysts had predicted.

The largest shareholder of Smith Barney Inc.--a group of wealthy Mideast investors--has put up for sale its 22% stake in the closely held holding company for Smith Barney, Harris Upham & Co. A spokesman for the securities firm said he didn't know the circumstances surrounding the sale or the amount sought by the group.