West Ham United 0 Tottenham Hotspur 3
Why? Tottenham have won their past nine games, playing some superb football along the way, and there is no reason to expect that run to end at West Ham. Yes, West Ham have kept a clean sheet in their past two games, but dealing with Everton and Stoke City is one thing, dealing with Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen in great form is something else, though, and Tottenham will have too much for them.
Manchester City 2 Crystal Palace 1
Why? City wobbled at Middlesbrough last weekend with Gabriel Jesus heading a late goal to earn them a draw. City cannot afford any more slip ups if they are to finish in the top four, and they should have too much for Palace, whose recent run of good results came to a surprising end at home to Burnley on Saturday.
Bournemouth 2 Stoke City 0
Why? Both sides are all but mathematically safe from the drop. Stoke have won only one in their past eight, while Bournemouth have won their last two. So with the home side having the momentum and Joshua King in great form, this looks like the points will be going to Eddie Howe’s men.
Burnley 1 West Bromwich Albion 0
Why? It only took 18 tries, but Burnley finally won away from home last week at Palace, and Sean Dyche’s men will expect to clinch survival with an 11th home win of the season at Turf Moor against opponents who have not scored in their past five matches.
Hull City 3 Sunderland 0
Why? Marco Silva’s side can take a big step towards securing their survival against Sunderland, the first club relegated to the Championship for next season. Hull have not lost at the KCOM Stadium since Silva took over and they should be too strong for demoralised Sunderland, who have only picked up two points from their past 10 games and failed to score in nine of those matches.
Leicester City 2 Watford 0
Why? Both sides are on 40 points but all the momentum is with Leicester, who probably wish this season was lasting another three months and not three games. Jamie Vardy got their winner at West Brom last week and the England striker and his teammates should pick up three more points against a Watford side who have not scored a goal away from home since January 31.
Swansea City 1 Everton 2
Why? This is maybe the end of the line for Swansea in their bid to beat the drop. With Hull playing the worst side in the league in Sunderland, Swansea need three points, too, but Everton are tough opponents, with players such as Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley who can hurt them at the back. Swansea have to go for it, to an extent, and their defence is not good enough to keep out Everton.
Liverpool 1 Southampton 0
Why? Liverpool are running out of steam and look jaded without the injured Sadio Mane. They have won three of their past four games, but the wins over Stoke City and West Brom were not convincing, and it took a wonder goal from Emre Can to see off Watford on Monday. Happily for them, they are facing a Southampton side who looked tired and below par in drawing against Hull last weekend, and Liverpool should have just enough to win again.
Arsenal 1 Manchester United 1
Why? If either side is to get in the top four, this is a must win. But Arsenal are looking a spent force, and have only beaten Hull, West Ham, Middlesbrough and Leicester in the past three months in the league. United may well make changes with their priority the Europa League, but Jose Mourinho’s side are nothing if not resilient, having not lost in the league since October 23, and even with a weakened side you would still fancy them to at least get a share of the spoils at Emirates Stadium.
Chelsea 4 Middlesbrough 0
Why? The leaders need only three more wins to be champions and one of them should be ticked off against Middlesbrough, who are almost certain to be relegated this weekend. Chelsea showed their mettle in grinding out a 3-0 win over Everton, but while they should be wary of a side who deservedly drew with Manchester City on Sunday, they should be far too strong for Steve Agnew’s men.
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
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.”
