IMF-Global Financial Stability Reports-Vulnerabilities in a Maturing Credit Cycle
April 10, 2019-- Description: The April 2019 Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) finds that despite significant variability over the past two quarters, financial conditions remain accommodative. As a result, financial vulnerabilities have continued to build in the sovereign, corporate, and nonbank financial sectors in several systemically important countries, leading to elevated medium-term risks.
The report attempts to provide a comprehensive assessment of these vulnerabilities while focusing specifically on corporate sector debt in advanced economies, the sovereign-financial sector nexus in the euro area, China's financial imbalances, volatile portfolio flows to emerging markets, and downside risks to the housing market. These vulnerabilities require action by policymakers, including through the clear communication of any changes in their monetary policy outlook, the deployment and expansion of macroprudential tools, the stepping up of measures to repair public and private sector balance sheets, and the strengthening of emerging market resilience to foreign portfolio outflows.
Source: IMF
IMF-World Economic Outlook, April 2019
Growth Slowdown, Precarious Recovery
April 10, 2019--After strong growth in 2017 and early 2018, global economic activity slowed notably in the second half of last year, reflecting a confluence of factors affecting major economies.
China's growth declined following a combination of needed regulatory tightening to rein in shadow banking and an increase in trade tensions with the United States. The euro area economy lost more momentum than expected as consumer and business confidence weakened and car production in Germany was disrupted by the introduction of new emission standards; investment dropped in Italy as sovereign spreads widened; and external demand, especially from emerging Asia, softened. Elsewhere, natural disasters hurt activity in Japan. Trade tensions increasingly took a toll on business confidence and, so, financial market sentiment worsened, with financial conditions tightening for vulnerable emerging markets in the spring of 2018 and then in advanced economies later in the year, weighing on global demand. Conditions have eased in 2019 as the US Federal Reserve signaled a more accommodative monetary policy stance and markets became more optimistic about a US-China trade deal, but they remain slightly more restrictive than in the fall.
view the IMF World Economic Outlook, April 2019 Growth Slowdown, Precarious Recovery
Source: IMF
Weak Spots in Global Financial System Could Amplify Shocks
April 10, 2019--In the United States, the ratio of corporate debt to GDP is at record-high levels. In several European countries, banks are overloaded with government bonds. In China, bank profitability is declining, and capital levels remain low at small and medium-size lenders.
Vulnerabilities like these are on the rise across advanced and emerging market economies, according to the IMF's latest Global Financial Stability Report. They aren't all setting off alarm bells just yet. But if they continue to build, especially with still-easy financial conditions, they could amplify shocks to the global economy, raising the odds of a severe economic downturn a few years down the road.
Source: IMF
ETF investor inflows tumble 28% in first quarter
April 10, 2019--Lyxor and State Street Global Advisors among worst performers so far in 2019
ETF investor inflows tumble 28% in first quarter
This year's battle between providers of exchange traded funds to drum up new business has made an anaemic start with worldwide investor inflows down more than a quarter in the first three months.
Source: FT.com
ETFGI reports assets invested in the Global ETF and ETP industry reached a new record US$5.40 trillion at the end of March 2019
April 10, 2019--ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm covering trends in the global ETF/ETP ecosystem, reported today that ETFs and ETPs listed Globally gathered net inflows of US$37.48 billion in March, bringing year-to-date net inflows to US$99.14 billion. Assets invested in the Global ETF/ETP industry finished the month up 1.42%, from US$5.32 trillion at the end of February, to US$5.40 trillion, according to ETFGI's March 2019 Global ETF and ETP industry landscape insights report, an annual paid-for research subscription service.
(All dollar values in USD unless otherwise noted.)
Highlights
Assets invested in the Global ETF/ETP industry reach a new record US$5.40 Tn.
April 11th marks the 19th anniversary of the listing of the first ETF in Europe.
Assets invested in the Global ETF/ETP industry rise 1.41% in March.
Source: ETFGI
ETF investor inflows tumble 28% in first quarter
This year's battle between providers of exchange traded funds to drum up new business has made an anaemic start with worldwide investor inflows down more than a quarter in the first three months.
Source: FT.com
Global Business Value Of Artificial Intelligence In Banking To Reach $300 Billion By 2030, IHS Markit Says
With the projected increase in the number of AI projects that are launched and become commercially deployed, the business value of AI in banking is projected to reach $300 billion by 2030, according to global business information provider IHS Markit (NASDAQ: INFO).
Source: technology.ihs.com
Deutsche Boerse to pay $850m for analytics firm AxiomaDeutsche Boerse to pay $850m for analytics firm Axioma
US-based Axioma will be rolled in with Deutsche Börse-owned Stoxx and Dax in a new company with a valuation of EUR2.6 billion and led by Axioma CEO Sebastian Ceria.
Source: finextra.com
SocGen Is Latest Bank to Shutter Its Commodities Business
The French bank said on Tuesday that it is planning to close its over-the-counter commodities business and its proprietary trading subsidiary as part of a global move to cut about 1,600 jobs after a slump in trading revenue.
Source: Bloomberg
Machine-learning on the rise in financial services: Refinitiv
In a report, Refinitiv, the financial data provider, said more than 90 percent of the organizations it surveyed had either deployed machine-learning in multiple areas of the organization or have made a start in some pockets.
Source: Reuters
April 10, 2019--Lyxor and State Street Global Advisors among worst performers so far in 2019
ETF investor inflows tumble 28% in first quarter
April 10, 2019--Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the banking sector by detecting fraud in financial transactions on the basis of a pre-defined set of rules. In 2018 AI in banking business was estimated to be $41.1 billion, which includes the cost savings and efficiencies of introducing AI technology compared to keeping existing infrastructures and processes.
April 9, 2019--German exchange operator Deutsche Börse is buying Axioma for $850 million and combining the analytics specialist with its index businesses in a new company.
April 9, 2019--Bank Shutting OTC commodities business, trading subsidiary
Comes after BNP shut its U.S commodities derivatives desk
Add Societe Generale SA to the list of banks and financial institutions to take a big step back from commodities amid a slump in trading profits.
April 9, 2019--The use of machine-learning has picked up across the financial services industry, although problems such as data quality continue to dog its progress, a study by Refinitiv has found.
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