Five NFL games to watch: Eagles v Giants, Broncos v Raiders among Week 9 rivalry tilts

For NFL fans in the UAE who like to stay up late to watch the games live, it gets a bit more difficult this week. The clocks moved ahead one hour in the States, so the earliest games for Week 9 now have 10pm kick-offs. Alas, here are the week’s five best games to keep an eye on.

See also: This week's NFL Power Rankings

• Detroit Lions (4-4) at Minnesota Vikings (5-2), Sunday, 10pm: Detroit have hung around the race thanks to a career year from quarterback Matthew Stafford, and first-place Minnesota have helped by losing two straight. The Vikings are now without offensive co-ordinator Norv Turner, who resigned earlier this week. The Vikings have already made several changes to on-field personnel this season due to injury, and how they respond to a major mid-season coaching change will determine if they can continue their early-season success.

• Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) at Baltimore Ravens (3-4), Sunday, 10pm: Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is likely a game-time decision after missing one start following knee surgery. He will probably play, though, as he is no stranger to playing hurt. Baltimore have lost four straight, but can get right back in the AFC North race with a win over their biggest rivals.

• Philadelphia Eagles (4-3) at New York Giants (4-3), Sunday, 10pm: Another inter-division match between hated rivals in a week full of them. The Eagles' upcoming schedule is tough, and a win over fellow NFC East contenders New York could be vital for their chances to stay in the play-off hunt. The Eagles are only 4-3 despite having the NFL's second-best point-differential at plus-62, by far the best in the NFC. The Giants, by comparison, have the same record despite a paltry minus-8 point-differential.

• Denver Broncos (6-2) at Oakland Raiders (6-2), Monday, 5.30am: It's been a long time since there's been a game of this magnitude in Oakland. The Raiders' home fans are notoriously rowdy and passionate, and will likely be rude hosts to the defending champions. The Raiders, led by an MVP-calibre year from Derek Carr, left, have the NFL's No 5 offence in yards per game, while Denver's defence is the league's third stingiest unit. Oakland fans have not rooted for a play-off team since the 2002 that won the AFC. Their fans be in full throat for this one.

• Buffalo Bills (4-4) at Seattle Seahawks (4-2-1), Tuesday, 5.30am: Buffalo have lost two straight and the road doesn't get much easier in the Monday Night Football showcase against a Seattle team that is extra tough at home. But Russell Wilson and the Seahawks' offence have endured their own struggles of late. Bills running back LeSean McCoy is expected to return from a hamstring injury.

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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)

Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai

Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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A State of Passion

Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi

Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah

Rating: 4/5

Washmen Profile

Date Started: May 2015

Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Laundry

Employees: 170

Funding: about $8m

Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures

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