European Semester Winter Package: reviewing Member States' progress on their economic and social priorities
March 7, 2018--The European Commission today publishes its annual analysis of the economic and social situation in the Member States, including progress in implementing country-specific recommendations and an assessment of possible imbalances.
The European economy is expanding robustly and the positive economic outlook is matched by an improved labour market and social situation.
This reflects the reforms undertaken by Member States in recent years and provides a window of opportunity to further strengthen the resilience of the EU's economies and societies.Nevertheless, the recovery is not benefitting everybody in society equally and structural weaknesses are holding back growth and convergence in some Member States. That is why EU countries should use this momentum to further strengthen the foundations of their economies.
Today's 27 Country Reports (for all Member States except Greece, which is under a stability support programme) provide the annual analysis by Commission staff on the economic and social situation in Member States, including progress made in implementing Country-Specific Recommendations over the years.
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White-label ETF provider HANetf appoints compliance firm
March 7, 2018--HANetf, described as Europe's first independent white label platform for ETFs, has appointed Carne Group to provide compliance services.
Carne's remit spans compliance-related activities including designated persons, global registration and anti-money laundering services.
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As Brexit Looms, EU Capital Markets are underperforming-London leading the trend.
March 7, 2018--A new report by think-tank New Financial finds that EU capital markets continue to underperform, widening the transatlantic gap with US capital markets.
Relative to the size of the economy, most sectors of EU capital markets have shrunk over the past decade-with remnants from the financial crisis still present and recovery moving slowly. With the threat of Brexit looming, the urgency to further develop and deepen capital markets in the EU27 is highlighted in the report, stating a huge growth potential.
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Franklin Templeton relaunches Global fund with ESG focus
March 6, 2018--Renamed Templeton Global Climate Change
Franklin Templeton Investments has repositioned its euro-denominated Global fund with a sustainability focus, renaming it the Templeton Global Climate Change fund.
The €702m fund will now invest in a globally-diversified value portfolio of stocks representing three global climate change-related business models:
Companies that are trying to remediate the impacts of climate change through lower carbon solutions, such as renewable energy
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Asset managers in Britain pay compensation over misleading fees
March 5, 2018--A group of asset managers in Britain has paid 34 million pounds ($47 million) in compensation to investors for failing to clearly state how their funds are managed, the financial markets regulator said.
The funds were included in a review by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) of whether some funds charged higher fees for "active" management or selecting stocks, while in practice were simply tracking or partly tracking a benchmark index.
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Euro zone's economic roar lost some volume in February: PMI
March 5, 2018--The euro zone's economic boom paused last month as rising prices took a toll on demand, but the zone remains on course for its best growth in eight years, a survey showed on Monday.
Growth was robust and broad, with countries across the region reporting expansion, welcome news to the European Central Bank as it looks to end its ultra-easy monetary policy.
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Bank of England to offer Islamic liquidity tool more widely
March 5, 2018--The Bank of England plans to offer a proposed sharia-compliant liquidity tool to a wider range of financial institutions beyond Islamic banks to boost demand, a senior official said on Monday.
London has long sought to position itself as a global hub for Islamic finance, aiming to attract business from core centres in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
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New iShares smart beta ETF launched on Xetra
March 5, 2018--ETF provides access to companies from industrialised countries in the EMU
A new exchange traded fund (ETF) issued by iShares has been tradable on Xetra and Börse Frankfurt since Monday.
The new smart beta ETF enables investors to participate in the performance of the MSCI EMU Diversified Multiple-Factor Index. The reference index comprises large and medium-sized companies based in industrialised countries in the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Index components are selected and weighted based on four factors: value, momentum, size and quality.
Name: iShares Edge MSCI EMU Multifactor UCITS ETF
Asset class: equity index ETF
ISIN: IE00BF2PG656
Ongoing charges: 0.40 percent
Distribution policy: accumulating
Reference index: MSCI EMU Diversified Multiple-Factor Index
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