Global ETF News Older than One Year
Big tech in finance: opportunities and risks
June 23, 2019--The entry of large technology firms ("big techs") such as Alibaba, Amazon, Facebook, Google and Tencent into financial services, including payments, savings and credit, could make the sector more efficient and increase access to these services, but also introduces new risks, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) writes in its Annual Economic Report.
In a special chapter on big tech in finance, the BIS notes that these companies offer many potential benefits, including enhanced efficiency of financial services provision, facilitating financial inclusion and promoting associated gains in economic activity.
view the III. Big tech in finance: opportunities and risks
Source: BIS
Vanguard has held early-stage talks with prospective partners as it weighs whether to offer more alternative investments
June 23, 2019--Vanguard Group has had discussions with a handful of private-equity firms as the indexing giant weighs whether to push further into alternative investments.
The firm held exploratory talks with Boston firm HarbourVest Partners, London-based Pantheon and at least one other firm, said people familiar with the matter. Those talks took place in the past year. Vanguard is evaluating partnerships to make a mix of private-equity funds available to Vanguard clients, the people said.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Breaking: Bitcoin breaks above $11,000 for the first time since March 2018
June 22, 2019--The first digital currency hit $11,125 high on Saturday trading as the rally is gaining traction. At the time of writing, BTC/USD is changing hands at $11,046 amid strong bullish sentiments.
The next target awaits us on approach to $11,500. This psychological barrier is strengthened by 50% Fibo retracement for the significant downside move from the all-time high reached in December 2017
Source: forexcrunch.com
IOSCO examines liquidity in corporate bond markets under stressed conditions
June 21, 2019--The Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions today published a report that examines the factors affecting liquidity in secondary corporate bond markets under stressed conditions
The report, prepared by IOSCO's Committee on Emerging Risks, examines how liquidity in secondary corporate bond markets tends to evolve when those markets experience stress. The report seeks to increase understanding of how stressed conditions may affect both bond and other financial markets and the financial system more broadly.
view the IOSCO Liquidity in Corporate Bond Markets Under Stressed Conditions Final Report
Source: IOSCO
Money-laundering watchdog to clamp down on cryptocurrencies
June 21, 2019--Global task force to announce measures on Friday
FATF wants countries to tighten cryptocurrency oversight
Europol warns digital coins being used for crime
Cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin are set to be subjected to rules to prevent their abuse for money laundering, a global watchdog will announce on Friday, the first worldwide regulatory attempt to constrain the rapidly growing sector.
The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a coalition of countries from the United States to China, will tell countries to tighten oversight of cryptocurrency exchanges to stop digital coins being used to launder cash.
Source: Reuters
Growth in global financial wealth ground to a halt in 2018
June 20, 2019--The steady rise in global wealth growth came to a sharp halt in 2018. Gains in global personal financial wealth tumbled by more than 5 percentage points year on year, the weakest performance in the past half-decade.
The fourth-quarter dip in major stock indexes pulled down equities and the large regional portfolios tied to them. High valuation levels, geopolitical risks, and the challenges of returning to normal interest rate levels also contributed to the decline.
Source: Boston Consulting Group
Value of negative yielding debt hits record $12.5tn.
June 19, 2019-- Central bank dovishness has sent a jolt through fixed income markets
The universe of negative-yielding bonds has jumped to a new record of $12.5tn, after the European Central Bank poured more fuel on the global fixed income rally by hinting that it could restart its "quantitative easing" programme.
Source: FT.com
$4.2 Trillion Can Be Saved by Investing in More Resilient Infrastructure, New World Bank Report Finds
June 19, 2019--The net benefit on average of investing in more resilient infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries would be $4.2 trillion with $4 in benefit for each $1 invested, according to a new report from the World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR).
The report, Lifelines: The Resilient Infrastructure Opportunity, lays out a framework for understanding infrastructure resilience, that is the ability of infrastructure systems to function and meet users' needs during and after a natural hazard.
It examines four essential infrastructure systems: power, water and sanitation, transport, and telecommunications.
View the World Bank- Lifelines: The Resilient Infrastructure Opportunity report
Source: World Bank
Bitcoin Markets Now Show Greater Influence From Institutional Investors: JPMorgan
June 17, 2019--JPMorgan Chase (JPM) thinks the Bitcoin (BTC) industry has changed considerably since 2017, citing an increase in institutional interest, Bloomberg reported on June 15.
The publication quoted a report led by managing director of global market strategy of the United States' largest bank, Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, in which researchers examined recent phenomena surrounding cryptocurrency exchanges.
Source: cointelegraph.com
London-Shanghai stock link launches
June 17, 2019--Stock Connect, a long-delayed program to link the London and Shanghai stock exchanges will officially launch on Monday, allowing global investors to access shares in Chinese companies and Chinese investors a chance to buy LSE-listed stock, reported the Financial Times.
The scheme, originally scheduled to begin last year, will be launched on the sidelines of a visit by Chinese vice-premier Hu Chunhua to London, during meetings with UK chancellor Philip Hammond. The Stock Connect scheme, first announced in 2015, was due to launch in December, but was delayed for unknown reasons.
Source: Economic Review China
