Global ETF News Older than One Year
Bassanese Bites: Bubble trouble
February 17, 2020--Top events of the past week
Global stocks continued to shrug off coronavirus fears last week with the S&P 500 up a lazy 1.6% to reach a new record high. Reports of a possible peak in the number of new coronavirus cases was the main (positive) market development, notwithstanding a surge in reported cases in China-due to an apparent change in reporting methods.
At this stage global markets are still attempting to "look through" the viruses' hit to global growth-as it's still only likely to be short-term-though this could change if the (still relatively small) number of cases outside of China begins to rise.
Also noteworthy late last week was more Washington talk of a US "middle class tax cut" plus a proposed plan to encourage everyday American's to invest in the surging stock market. This could be just the talk Wall Street could latch onto to support a further rally this year, especially if looks like Trump will win in a canter.
Source: Betashares
World Gold Council-The relevance of gold as a strategic asset
February 12, 2020--Gold benefits from diverse sources of demand: as an investment, a reserve asset, a luxury good and a technology component. It is highly liquid, no one's liability, carries no credit risk, and is scarce, historically preserving its value over time.
Source: World Gold Council (WGC)
IOSCO publishes key considerations for regulating crypto-asset trading platforms
February 12, 2020--The Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions today published a report that describes the issues and risks associated with crypto-asset trading platforms (CTPs) and sets out key considerations to assist regulatory authorities in addressing these issues.
The development of crypto-assets is an important area of interest for regulatory authorities around the world and has been identified in the IOSCO work program as an on-going Board priority in 2020.
The report published today, titled Issues, Risks and Regulatory Considerations Relating to Crypto-Asset Trading Platforms, describes the issues that IOSCO has identified regarding CTPs. The report sets out key considerations intended to assist regulatory authorities in evaluating CTPs within the context of their regulatory frameworks.
Source: IOSCO
Construction Activity Can Signal When Credit Booms Go Wrong
February 12, 2020--No global real estate market despite higher price synchronisation and growing role of international investors, central banks find.
In Spain, private sector credit as a share of GDP almost doubled between 2000 and 2007. This increase was accompanied by a boom in housing prices-which doubled in real terms over the same period. The economy as a whole also grew at a record pace.
But then in 2008, Spain's credit bubble burst, and with it came loan defaults, bank failures, and a prolonged economic slowdown.
A less-noticed development in Spain was in the construction sector, where employment grew by an astounding 47 percent, compared to the economy-wide increase of 27 percent.
view the IMF Staff Discussion Note-Discerning Good from Bad Credit Booms:The Role of Construction
Source: IMF
South Africa: Bridging the Income Divide
February 7, 2020--South Africa suffers among the highest levels of inequality in the world. As our Chart of the Week shows, the country's wealth is concentrated in the upper levels of society. The top 20 percent of the population holds over 68 percent of income, while the poorest 40 percent possess only 7 percent of income.
That inequality isn't only seen in income distribution; it also manifests itself in unequal access to opportunities-education, health, and jobs-and regional disparities. Meanwhile, low growth and rising unemployment have perpetuated inequality. High unemployment is a major factor. South Africa's unemployment rate is significantly higher than other emerging markets, and nearly 60 percent of the country's youth (aged 15-24) are unemployed.
Source: BIS
Interest Rate Controls, Capital Flow Restrictions, and Other Potentially Costly Financial Market Regulatory Tools
February 6, 2020--With the surge in public debt in the wake of the global financial crisis, financial repression-administrative restrictions on interest rates, credit allocation, capital movements, and other financial operations-has come back on the agenda.
In our recent working paper, we argue that countries would be better-off without financial repression. By distorting market incentives and signals, financial repression induces losses from inefficiency and rent-seeking that are not easily quantified.
Source: IMF
Growth and economic well-being: third quarter 2019, OECD Household income growth continues to outpace GDP growth
February 6, 2020--Growth in real Household income per capita provides a better picture of changes in households' economic well-being than real GDP growth per capita, which it outpaced for the fourth straight quarter in the third quarter of 2019.
Growth in real household income per capita in the OECD area increased slightly to 0.5%, while GDP growth per capita was stable at 0.3%.
Source: OECD
Assessing Climate-Change Risk by Stress Testing for Financial Resilience
February 5, 2020--As society braces for the potential havoc a changing climate could induce, it's vital to gauge the range of shocks that the economy may soon endure. One way to quantify the effects of the potentially systemic shocks that could ripple through the financial system is to administer "stress tests"-a well-designed analytical process that has, for decades, been used by the IMF, World Bank and financial supervisors for detailed scenario planning to prevent future financial crises.
Measuring the Risks
Stress testing for financial resilience to climate risk stands out as an important new tool in a new IMF staff paper. Climate stress testing measures ways in which a climate crisis would affect the financial system, both globally and on a country-by-country level.
Source: IMF
Libra as a currency board: are the risks too great?
January 27, 2020--The Libra Association claims it will be analogous to a currency board regime, but they have overlooked the problems of monetary management that come with it
Facebook's Libra project to create a digital currency has had a difficult start, with criticism from authorities, and the departure of some founding members.
Libra's critics have mostly focused on risks associated with money laundering, financial stability and data privacy. But the project also raises questions about monetary management.
Libra's promotors present it as a payment system innovation. It is, however, also a new monetary system, because it implies the creation of a new currency-at least in the project's initial form-and because the Libra Association itself has characterised its approach as "similar to the way in which currency boards (eg of Hong Kong) have operated'.
Currency boards are a type of monetary system in which the issuer balances its liabilities with assets in the form of foreign currency.
Source: bruegel.org
Self-Service Blockchain Track and Trace Platform for Businesses Launched
January 23, 3030--Today, consumers are more concerned than ever about the social and environmental impacts of the products they purchase. Almost 90% would like big brands to help them be more environmentally friendly and ethical. Blockchain technology offers a way to showcase sustainability and environmentally friendly practices, but private blockchains do not address rising customer transparency demands.
Source: World Economic Forum (WEF)
