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Morocco could become a more attractive prospect for Brits moving abroad as air travel to the country is booming, reports ANSAmed.

The internet news provider reports that the number of international flights into the country has doubled in recent years.

Flights from London to Marrakesh take on average three and a half hours, which is only slightly longer than visiting Greece or Italy. This coupled with the creation of the country’s first low-cost airlines could make it a new destination for business travel.

In an interview with the internet news provider Hamid Zhar, air transport director for Morocco, said that air travel in the country has been faring well despite the recession.

He said: ”Low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet, have come onto the market with large-scale passenger capacity and frequent flights, which are increasing in number every year.”

The areas around Casablanca are no longer the main destination and other cities are benefitting from an increase in traffic.

Morocco made an agreement about common airspace with the European Union which has led to the increase in international flights. Predictions that ten million tourists will a year will visit the country by 2010 are gaining in credibility.

Written by Andy Price.

Workers moving abroad will soon have the chance to experience life in their new city before they move – all from the comfort of their own home.

The Expat Virtual Relocation Service, which was created by ExpatFinder.com and Twinity.com, is the new expat forum which offers the opportunity to take a virtual 3D tour of worldwide cities, such as Berlin.

To make the transition into living abroad even easier, the programme also allows people to meet up online with their fellow future expats so they already know the community when they move.

Sebastien Deschamps, co founder of ExpatFinder.com, predicts that the new programme will also help families of those working abroad.

He said: "Getting family members on board at an early stage of the relocation is crucial to the success of the overseas assignment; a lack of commitment from the family or partner is often the reason why a stint overseas fails."

ExpatFinder.com also believe that the programme will help save employers money when they are arranging international recruitment.

Yesterday, the Daily Telegraph launched its Best of British competition to find the best expat bars, clubs and restaurants where expats go to chat in the world.

Written by Chris Moore.

Improved dollar exchange rates have produced an increase in Brits buying property abroad in the US, claims Moneycorp.

According to the currency exchange broker, there has been a 23 per cent increase in the number of people buying property in the US in the past six months.

The latest home Schiller home price index revealed that property prices had improved by 3.1 per cent in the third quarter of 2009.

Deane Roe, from Moneycorp, said: "This increase directly correlates with the pound’s improved performance against the dollar, with a noticeable pickup in clients buying US dollars once the rate moved above the 1.50 level."

He added that an increasing number of people were paying in a cash lump sum rather than taking out a large international mortgage.

Figures released in November from the National Association of Realtors showed that the sales of existing houses in the US increased just over ten per cent year-on-year for the month of October.

Tax advantages for first-time buyers have been credited as the main driving force behind the increase

Written by Tom Britten.

I was a guest on two shows, BBC News’ “World News Today” and Fox Business News’ “Cavuto,” where I discussed the fallout from news that Dubai will delay repayments on $60 billion of debt from its investment company, Dubai World (videos embedded below).

As I see it, the turmoil that has occurred in global markets over the past 48 hours essentially confirms that investors in risky asset classes have not made allowances for surprises – or even predictable events. In fact, it seems pretty … [visit site to read more]

While Iceland’s transformation from fishing nation to financial powerhouse – and back – became a potent symbol of the banking boom and bust of the past few years, the Middle Eastern emirate of Dubai was where the global property bubble was taken to its glitziest extreme.

Without the oil reserves of many of their neighbours, Dubai’s rulers hatched a hubristic plan to turn their city-state in the sand into a glamorous playground for the rich, enthusiastically bankrolled by western … [visit site to read more]

The stories,data, and stocks that may have the greatest impact during the next trading session. … [visit site to read more]

Ever see one of those “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” statues or pictures? The ones with the three monkeys, one covering his eyes, one covering his ears, and one covering his mouth?

That’s pretty much what the Federal Reserve appears to be doing now when it comes to the asset markets …
Stocks up 67 percent from their lows? No worries.

Junk bonds up 52 percent this year – the biggest increase in the history of the high-yield debt market, even as default rates are … [visit site to read more]

As we enter a new decade we are compelled to point out what, in our opinion, is the “Lost Decade” of the United States. The financial media, brokerage houses and advisors have done a good job promoting the opportunity of owning US Equities, and as a result the average investor continues to wait and hope that their cookie cutter, simplistic investment strategies will provide for their future.

The reality is that investors have been severely punished for “buying” and “holding” US equities over … [visit site to read more]

On the topic of the magnitude of the economic recovery, David Rosenberg, Chief Economist and Strategist of Gluskin Sheff & Associates, provided the following interesting snippet:

The recession in the US may be over, but what sort of recovery lies ahead remains in question. All we can say is that when looking at what is normal in the context of a post-recession rebound during the post-WWII era, the first quarter of growth is closer to 7.3% at an annual rate, not 2.8% as we just … [visit site to read more]

Governments benefit from ‘teaser’ rates. Wait ’til they come to an end…

There are so many breathtaking things going on around us we practically suffocate. Last week, three-month US Treasury-bills yielded all of 0.015% interest. Some yields were below zero. In effect, investors gave the government money. The government thanked them and promised to give them back less money three months later. How do you explain this strange transaction? Was there a full moon?

Moonlight on the week … [visit site to read more]