World Gold Council-Working towards a common accounting framework for gold
June 8, 2016--This paper reviews the different approaches to gold accounting demonstrated by central banks and discusses the elements of a common approach for central banks.
Research for this paper included a review of the financial statements of 98 central banks and two international financial institutions that hold gold; BIS and IMF.
view the Working towards a common accounting framework for gold paper
Source: World Gold Council
Cost of Violence Infographic
June 8, 2016--How much does violence cost the world each year? $13.6 trillion in 2015.
Source: visionofhumanity.org
The 2016 Global Peace Index Report
June 8, 2016--The Global Peace Index Records a Historically Less Peaceful and More Unequal World
The 2016 GPI report provides a comprehensive update on the state of peace. It shows that amidst the global deterioration the world continues to spend enormous resources on creating and containing violence but very little on peace.
The key to reversing the decline in peace is through building Positive Peace-a holistic framework of the key attitudes, institutions and structures which build peace in the long term.
The UN's Sustainable Development Goal 16, which focuses on peace, justice and strong institutions is critical to focusing the international community on the goal of attaining a more peaceful world.
view the The Global Peace Index 2016 Report
view the 2016 Global Peace Index
Source: www.visionofhumanity.org
IEA sees major shifts in global gas trade over next five years
Massive growth in LNG supplies despite weak gas demand and low prices
June 8, 2016--The next five years will bring a reshaping of the global gas trade, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Wednesday in its 2016 Medium-Term Gas Market Report.
New liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies are coming online just as demand growth in some major markets weakens, resulting in major shifts in global gas trade patterns. A weak outlook for Japan and Korea-the world's top two LNG buyers-means that new supplies will need to find other markets. China, India and ASEAN countries will emerge as key buyers.
Source: International Energy Agency (IEA)
Franklin CEO: consolidation is coming
June 8, 2016--The explosive growth of cheaper, passive funds will force asset management industry to consolidate.
Source: SEC.gov
Which regions will build the Silicon Valleys of the future?
June 8, 2016--The idea of a company growing so quickly that it doubles it revenues in under two years immediately brings to mind the Silicon Valley tech giants.
Yet such growth rates are far from being the preserve of companies in the developed world. In fact, "hypergrowth" is being cultivated in many regions around the world.
Source: World Economic Forum
IMF Working Paper-Global Financial Conditions and Monetary Policy Autonomy
June 8, 2016--Summary: Is the Mundell-Fleming trilemma alive and well? International co-movement of asset prices takes place alongside synchronized business cycles, complicating the identification of financial spillovers and assessments of monetary policy autonomy.
A benchmark for interest rate comovement is to impose the null hypothesis that central banks respond only to the outlook for domestic inflation and output. We show that common approaches used to estimate interest rate spillovers tend to understate the degree of monetary autonomy enjoyed by small open economies with flexible exchange rates. We propose an empirical strategy that partials out those spillovers that are associated with impaired monetary autonomy. Using this approach, we revisit the predictions of the trilemma and find more compelling evidence that flexible exchange rates deliver monetary autonomy than prior work has suggested.
Source: IMF
Morningstar Research Examines High-Yield Bond ETFs and Questions Their Presumed Role in Market Instability
June 7, 2016--Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment research, today released new research about the trading activity of the most heavily traded high-yield bond exchange-traded funds (ETFs) domiciled in the United States and Europe and finds evidence for the positive role of high-yield bond ETFs as a stress valve during market stress.
The paper, "High-Yield Bond ETFs-A Primer on Liquidity," offers comprehensive analysis of the high-yield bond ETF market, questions the vehicle's presumed role in market instability, and outlines the crucial differences between the ETFs' primary and secondary layers of liquidity.
view the High-Yield Bond ETFs A Primer on Liquidity
Source: Morningstar
IOSCO issues Statement on Non-GAAP Financial Measures to assist issuers in providing clear disclosure for investors
June 7, 2016--The Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) today issued the Statement on Non-GAAP Financial Measures.
The Statement is intended to assist issuers in providing clear and useful disclosure for investors and other users of financial measures other than those prescribed by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), and in reducing the risk that such measures are presented in a way that could be misleading. Non-GAAP financial measures can be useful to issuers and investors because they can provide additional insight into an issuer's financial performance, financial condition and/or cash flow. The use of non-GAAP financial measures also can provide issuers with flexibility in communicating useful, entity-specific information.
Source: IOSCO
Singapore to overtake UK for offshore finance
June 7, 2016--Boston Consulting Group estimates $1.7tn of offshore money will be in Singapore by 2020
Source: FT.com