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Treasury International Capital Data For September 2011
November 16, 2011--The U.S. Department of the Treasury today released Treasury International Capital (TIC) data for September 2011. The next release, which will report on data for October 2011, is scheduled for December 15, 2011.
Foreign residents increased their holdings of long-term U.S. securities in September — net purchases were $65.8 billion.
Net purchases by private foreign investors were $28.5 billion, and net purchases by foreign official institutions were $37.3 billion.
At the same time, U.S. residents decreased their holdings of long-term foreign securities, with net sales of $2.7 billion.
Taking into account transactions in both foreign and U.S. securities, the net foreign purchases of long-term securities were $68.6 billion. After adjustments, such as estimates of unrecorded principal payments to foreigners on U.S. asset-backed securities are included, the overall net foreign acquisition of long-term securities is estimated to have been $57.6 billion in September.
Foreigners increased their holdings of U.S. Treasury bills by $3.3 billion.Foreign holdings of all dollar-denominated short-term U.S. securities and other custody liabilities decreased by $4.8 billion.
Banks’ own net dollar-denominated liabilities to foreign residents increased by $4.6 billion.
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Source: US Department of the Treasury
Indxis and GAIA Capital Launch Global Farming Index
October 16, 2011--A new Farming Index, which will focus largely on Emerging Markets and global farming, has been launched by Indxis, an independent provider of bespoke indices, and GAIA Capital Advisors, a Geneva based fund manager and investment advisor specialising in global natural and agricultural investing.
Investors seeking to diversify investments by adding the agriculture sector to their portfolios should be interested in the attractive fundamentals and prospective returns available in this space.
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Source: Hedge Week
Iren S.p.A. Added to Dow Jones Italy Select Dividend 20 Index
November 16, 2011--Iren S.p.A. will be added to the Dow Jones Italy Select Dividend 20 Index, Dow Jones Indexes, a leading global index provider, announced today.
The addition of Iren (Italy, Utilities, IRE.MI) to the index follows the removal of Finmeccanica S.p.A. (Italy, Industrial Goods & Services, FNC.MI) which will be deleted due to the cancellation of Finmeccanica's dividend payment. All changes will be effective before the open of trading on Monday, November 21, 2011.
Iren is an Italy-based holding company active in the multi-utilities sector. The company operates through its subsidiaries in the following sectors: electricity, gas, district heating, integrated water service and environment, and it also provides other public utility services as telecommunications, public lighting, and traffic-light services.
The Dow Jones Italy Select Dividend 20 Index represents the country's top 20 stocks by dividend yield.
Company additions to and deletions from the Dow Jones Italy Select Dividend 20 Index do not in any way reflect an opinion on the investment merits of the company.
Source: Dow Jones Indexes
iShares files with the SEC-iShares MSCI Global Select Metals & Mining Producers Fund
November 16, 2011--iShares has filed a post-effective amendment, registration statement with the SEC for the iShares MSCI Global Select Metals & Mining Producers Fund.
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Source: SEC.gov
iShares files with the SEC-iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers Fund
November 16, 2011--iShares has filed a post-effective amendment, registration statement with the SEC for the iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers Fund.
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Source: SEC.gov
iShares files with the SEC-iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers Fund
November 16, 2011--iShares has filed a post-effective amendment, registration statement with the SEC for the iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers Fund.
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Source: SEC.gov
iShares files with the SEC
November 16, 2011--iShares has filed a post-effective amendment, registration statement with the SEC for the iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners Fund.
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Source: SEC.gov
AdvisorShares files with the SEC
November 16, 2011--AdvisorShares has filed a post-effective amendment, registration statement with the SEC for the AdvisorShares Global Alpha & Beta ETF (NYSE Arca Ticker: RRGR).
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Source: SEC.gov
The Pandemic of Ponzimonium”-Speech of Commissioner Bart Chilton
to the New York Law School, Center on Financial Services Law
November 15, 2011-Introduction
It is an honor and pleasure to be here with you this afternoon. Thanks particularly to Professor Ron Filler for his extraordinary efforts in setting this up.
Biosafety Levels
There is a fairly recent movie out called “Contagion.” Steven Soderbergh directed the film which has a large ensemble cast including Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Winslet, among others. I haven’t seen the movie, but it follows the progress of a virus that results in a pandemic. The movie sounds similar to a book I read over a dozen years ago—pre-9/11—called “The Cobra Event.” It’s a thriller and this single man, a terrorist, creates an incurable virus called “Cobra” that is a combination of smallpox and the common cold. The story starts right here in New York and a pandemic ensues.
The thing is—the theoretical possibility of such pandemics as Contagion and Cobra Event seem all too close to home.
When I worked at the United States Department of Agriculture around the same time I read Cobra Event, I became familiar with biosafety levels—or BSL—and the facilities that exist to contain these deadly things and to do research to find a vaccine or antidote. At the time, there were four BSL tiers, ranging from a biosafety level 1 which were facilities where the staff would isolate whatever it was they were trying to contain and they’d use some minimal protective garments. The BSL tiers became progressively more secure through BSL 4. A BSL 4 was reserved for dealing with pathogens and lethal agents—like smallpox, cholera, measles, etc…—exceptionally dangerous and infectious materials that if released could become pandemics. A BSL 4 is a super secure facility for dealing with these things. Staff wears what are essentially space suits with hoods. The buildings have self-contained oxygen and the air is all internally filtered. The entrance and exits have multiple showers, a vacuum room, ultraviolet rooms and a bunch of other safety precautions. Let’s just say it is pretty secure because it handles the most dangerous stuff on earth—things that could become pandemic. And guess what? There is a facility a mile and a half off of Long’s Island’s Orient Point. It is called Plum Island and it is 840 acres. It is, or at least it was, the only BSL 4 facility authorized to handle diseases that are communicable between humans and animals for which there is no known cure.
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Source: CFTC.gov
Morgan Stanley-HOLDRS Conversion
November 15, 2011--Van Eck to Convert
HOLDRS Into ETFs Synopsis:
Van Eck Global has filed documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission offering investors of six HOLDRS the opportunity to
exchange their receipts in HOLDRS trusts for shares of new Market Vectors exchangetraded funds (ETFs).
The exchange will be of equal value and
require action on the part of individual
HOLDRS investors authorizing conversion into the new Market Vectors ETFs. According to Van Eck, investors in the six affected HOLDRS can expect to receive an information
package shortly.
Trading in the six HOLDRS will be halted 30 minutes prior to the expiration of Van Eck’s exchange offers on 12/20/11, unless the offers are extended. The trustee is expected to liquidate the HOLDRS approximately four months after the termination of the trusts, which will occur following the expiration of the exchange offers.
Following the expiration of the exchange offers, the six HOLDRS will no longer trade on a national securities exchange, potentially making it difficult for investors who did not participate in the exchange to sell their shares.
Trading in the new ETFs is expected to begin on the first trading day immediately following the expiration of the exchange offers.
It is likely that the remaining 11 HOLDRS that are not part of the Van Eck exchange offering will be liquidated.
request report
Source: Morgan Stanley