Global ETF News Older than One Year
World Gold Council-The gold market in 20180-four trends to watch out for
January 15, 2018--In 2017, investors added gold to their portfolios as incomes increased, uncertainty loomed, and gold's positive price momentum continued: US$8.2bn flowed into gold-backed ETFs and the US$ gold price rose 13.5%, its best year since 2010.
As 2018 begins we explore four key market trends and their implications for gold:
synchronised economic growth
shrinking central bank balance sheets and rising rates
frothy asset prices
market transparency, efficiency, and access.
We believe that these trends will support demand and maintain gold's relevance as a strategic asset.
Source: World Gold Council (WGC)
IMF Working Papers-Regulatory Cycles: Revisiting the Political Economy of Financial Crises
January 15, 2018--Summary:
Financial crises are traditionally analyzed as purely economic phenomena. The political economy of financial booms and busts remains both under-emphasized and limited to isolated episodes. This paper examines the political economy of financial policy during ten of the most infamous financial booms and busts since the 18th century, and presents consistent evidence of pro-cyclical regulatory policies by governments.
Financial booms, and risk-taking during these episodes, were often amplified by political regulatory stimuli, credit subsidies, and an increasing light-touch approach to financial supervision. The regulatory backlash that ensues from financial crises can only be understood in the context of the deep political ramifications of these crises. Post-crisis regulations do not always survive the following boom. The interplay between politics and financial policy over these cycles deserves further attention. History suggests that politics can be the undoing of macro-prudential regulations.
Source: IMF
BlackRock inflows break records in 2017, with ETFs booming
January 12, 2017-- BlackRock, the world's biggest money manager, rounded off 2017 with record inflows, pulling in $367bn of net investor cash for the year and more than $100bn in the final three months.
Source: FT.com
World Economic Forum-Cybersecurity Threats Outpacing Abilities of Governments and Companies
January 12, 2018--The World Economic Forum has released a new report, Cyber Resilience: Playbook for Public-Private Collaboration, to build collaboration across sectors to improve cybersecurity
The playbook precedes the launch of a new Global Centre for Cybersecurity at the Annual Meeting 2018 in Davos
The report covers access to sensitive data, rules for private companies to respond to cyber-threats, dissemination of threat intelligence and policies regulating encryption are focus of report.
Report provides 12 case studies-including Google's Project Zero, the Department of Homeland Security's Automated Indicator Sharing, and the United Kingdom's Operation Waking Shark
Cybersecurity threats are outpacing the ability to overcome them unless all stakeholders begin to cooperate. The increasingly networked, digitized, and connected world is vulnerable to cyber-threats that can only be addressed by the combined capabilities of the public and private sectors, according to a new report by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Cyber Resilience: Playbook for Public-Private Collaboration is a tool to facilitate capacity-building, policies and processes necessary to support collaboration, safeguard cyberspace and strengthen cyber-resilience.
view the Cyber Resilience Playbook for Public- Private Collaboration
Source: WEF (World Economic Forum)
World Economic Forum-Manufacturing Transformation Set to Create a Two-Speed World
January 12, 2018--World Economic Forum launches first Readiness for the Future of Production Report to inform the development of modern industrial strategies and urge collaborative action
New framework assesses how well-positioned global economies are to shape and benefit from changes in production being driven by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Japan is leading globally in current baseline of production; United States is best positioned to capitalize on the Fourth Industrial Revolution to transform production systems
A new report launched today by the World Economic Forum reveals that only 25 countries are in the best position to gain as production systems stand on the brink of exponential change. Recognizing the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and emerging technologies on new production systems and business models, the Readiness for the Future of Production Report 2018, developed in collaboration with A.T. Kearney, provides a snapshot of today's global production landscape along with potential responses.
view the Readiness for the Future of Production Report 2018
Source: WEF (World Economic Forum)
DECPG Global Weekly
January 12, 2018--Taking Stock
The World Bank forecasts global growth to edge up to 3.1 percent in 2018. According to the World Bank's January 2018 Global Economic Prospects (GEP) report, released on Tuesday, global growth will edge up to 3.1 percent in 2018 after a stronger-than-expected 3 percent growth in 2017, as a continued recovery in emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) more than offset a slight moderation in advanced economies (Figure 1).
EMDE growth is projected to strengthen to 4.5 percent in 2018, as headwinds to activity in commodity exporters gradually dissipate and growth in commodity importers remains robust. U.S. core consumer price inflation firmed in December; jobless claims rose. U.S. core consumer prices-which exclude food and energy-rose from 1.7 percent (y/y) in November to 1.8 percent in December, above market expectations, suggesting underlying inflation is picking up.
Source: World Bank
Crash alert: First a Bitcoin crackdown, now a $100bn crypto meltdown
January 11, 2018--North Korea may be the biggest menace to world peace and human existence, but South Korea is the biggest threat to Bitcoin and crypto currency survival.
The country has single handily caused billions of dollars to crypto investments, lowering market caps and could deliver a knockout blow to the digital currency sector.
Source: AMEInfo.com
Boost in global economy offers opportunities to tackle deep rooted development issues
December 11, 2017--Policy imperatives include tackling inequality and delinking economic growth from environmental degradation
An upturn in the global economy-now growing by about 3 per cent-paves the
way to reorient policy towards longer-term issues such as addressing climate change, tackling existing
inequalities and removing institutional obstacles to developmen, according to the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2018,launched today in New York.
"The World Economic Situation and Prospects 2018 demonstrates that current macroeconomic conditions offer policy-makers greater scope to address some of the deep-rooted issues that continue to hamper progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals," stated UN Secretary-General AntÓnio Guterres in the Foreword.
view the UN World Economic Situation and Prospects 2018 report
Source: United Nations
The World Federation of Exchanges publishes position paper on FinTech in the market infrastructure space
January 10, 2018--The World Federation of Exchanges ("The WFE"), which represents more than 200 market infrastructure providers including exchanges and CCPs, today published a position paper summarising the WFE's current views on FinTech and the regulatory environment surrounding it.
The purpose of the paper-entitled FinTech in the Market Infrastructure Space-is to support ongoing compliance efforts, to ensure markets are resilient, stable and robust, and able to operate on a fair and level playing field with regards to FinTech.
The paper examines seven key areas, and identifies corresponding principles for markets Authorities to consider when designing rules, standards and guidelines for FinTech in the market infrastructure space:
view the position paper World Federation of Exchanges: FinTech in the Market Infrastructure Space
Source: WFE (The World Federation of Exchanges)
ETF SEcurities Investment Insights-3 Reasons Why Bitcoin Isn't Like Gold
January 10, 2018--Summary
Gold has a strong track-record as a store of value by preserving
spending power over long periods of time.
Gold investment is typically motivated to hedge risk while
return chasing is a large impetus for bitcoin buyers.
Gold is a physical asset with demand rooted in consumer and industrial applications beyond its role in the financial system.
Not a Proven Store of Value
Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies' recent popularity has thrown them into the same classification with gold as a store of value. Bitcoin currently fails to meet the three major functions of money
(medium of exchange, unit of account, and store of value) that other reserve currencies such as the US Dollar, Euro, and Japanese Yen provide.
Source: etfsecurities.com
