World Gold Council-Gold Demand Trends Full Year 2016
February 2, 2017--A four-year high in investment drove price gains and demand growth
2016 full-year gold demand gained 2% to reach a 3-year high of 4,308.7t.
Annual inflows into ETFs reached 531.9t, the second highest on record. Declines in jewellery and central bank purchases offset this growth. Annual bar and coin demand was broadly stable at 1,029.2t, helped by a Q4 surge.
Source: World Gold Council
Passive investing set to claim half of markets
February 2, 2017--Prediction of near-parity from 2021 as active managers battle to give superior returns
Source: FT.com
Global foreign direct investment fell 13% in 2016, but modest recovery expected in 2017-new figures
February 1, 2017--GITM Global flows of foreign direct investment (FDI) fell 13% in 2016 to an estimated $1.52 trillion as global economic growth remained weak and world trade volumes posted anemic gains, according to the latest UNCTAD Global Investment Trends Monitor.
"FDI recovery continues along a bumpy road. Particularly of concern is the sharp drop-off in manufacturing investment projects, which play such an important role in generating badly needed productivity improvements in developing economies," UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi said.
view the UNCTAD Global Investment Trends Monitor
Source: UNCTAD
ETF Securities Investment Insights January 2017-The growing case for commodities
January 31, 2017--Summary
Amid heightened geopolitical uncertainty and stretched
valuations in traditional assets, commodities may serve as a
key alternative investment and source of diversification.
Rising inflationary pressures may provide tailwind for commodities which historically closely track inflation.
Recovery in global growth may also spur commodity demand driven by emerging markets and infrastructure spending.
Source: etfsecurities.com
Fixed income trading primed for evolutionary leap
January 30, 2017--This year will see data science and analytics fuel 'smart trading', says Tradeweb chief.
Source: FT.com
Improving Governance Is Key to Ensuring Equitable Growth in Developing Countries
January 30, 2017--A new World Bank policy report urges developing countries and international development agencies to rethink their approach to governance, as a key to overcoming challenges related to security, growth, and equity.
The 2017 World Development Report: Governance and the Law explores how unequal distribution of power in a society interferes with policies' effectiveness. Power asymmetries help explain, for example, why model anti-corruption laws and agencies often fail to curb corruption, why decentralization does not always improve municipal services; or why well-crafted fiscal policies may not reduce volatility and generate long-term savings.
view the 2017 World Development Report: Governance and the Law
Source: World Bank
Renminbi internationalisation remains elusive
January 30, 2017--Offshore rate against the dollar has been stronger than its onshore counterpart
Source: FT.com
IMF Working paper-Oil Prices and the Global Economy
January 27, 2017--This paper presents a simple macroeconomic model of the oil market. The model incorporates features of oil supply such as depletion, endogenous oil exploration and extraction, as well as features of oil demand such as the secular increase in demand from emerging-market economies, usage efficiency, and endogenous demand responses.
The model provides, inter alia, a useful analytical framework to explore the effects of: a change in world GDP growth; a change in the efficiency of oil usage; and a change in the supply of oil. Notwithstanding that shale oil production today is more responsive to prices than conventional oil, our analysis suggests that an era of prolonged low oil prices is likely to be followed by a period where oil prices overshoot their long-term upward trend.
Source: IMF
Frequently asked questions on market risk capital requirements published by the Basel Committee
January 26, 2017--The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision today published responses to frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the standard Minimum capital requirements for market risk.
The questions and answers include clarifications both to the standardised approach and the internal models approach.
view the Minimum capital requirements for market risk
Source: BIS
BlackRock and Vanguard crush smaller ETF rivals
January 26, 2017--Record-breaking year for exchange traded funds benefited fund giants that slashed fees.
Champagne corks should be popping in celebration across the exchange traded fund industry after a third successive year of record-breaking growth.
Source: FT.com