Editorial Review of
World Markets Research Center

Unlike its peers, World Markets Research Center was born in the internet age -- founded during the dot-com bubble. Every country risk company now puts its stuff online. But most are reluctant to alienate legacy print customers and hence the structure and layout just doesn't work for the web. WMRC is the exception, designed for the net from the ground up.

The report content covers a broad range of topics, from politics to economy to operational risks such as taxation, infrastructure and security. WMRC is notable for comprehensive coverage (the same reports are done for over 180 countries), daily updates, and a particularly well-designed (though haphazardly implemented) rating system. The company maintains an extensive London-based staff, which accounts for analysis that is often insightful (written by country-specialist PhD's) but also inconsistent (some of the analysts are incoherent or overstretched, and the editorial oversight is light). That staff is also expensive, which accounts for WMRC's major cashflow problems leading to its acquisition by Global Insight (see separate entry).

http://www.wmrc.com