Emerging Economies Drive Global Trade Volatility in 2015
March 9, 2016--After dramatically declining in the first half of 2015, global trade recovered but at a slower pace over the rest of the year, so that world imports grew by only 1.7 percent in 2015 compared to 3 percent in 2014.
According to a new World Bank Group paper, Global Trade Watch: Trade Development in 2015, by World Bank Group Economists Cristina Constantinescu, Aaditya Mattoo and Michele Ruta, global trade in 2015 reflected persistently weak demand and structural changes in world trade, compounded by falling commodity prices and China's transition to a new growth path.
view the Global trade watch: trade developments in 2015
Source: World Bank
Deutsche Borse AG to divest International Securities Exchange Holdings, Inc.
March 9, 2016--Deutsche Börse AG ("Deutsche Börse") and NASDAQ, Inc. ("NASDAQ") have today entered into an agreement regarding the sale of International Securities Exchange Holdings, Inc. ("ISE"), operator of three US equity options exchanges, and ISE's holding company U.S. Exchange Holdings, Inc. to NASDAQ for a total cash consideration of 1.1 billion US$.
The agreement excludes ownership interest in Bats Global Markets, Inc. and in Digital Asset Holdings LLC, which will continue to be owned by Deutsche Börse.
At the time of the acquisition ISE was allocated to the Eurex segment from a balance sheet perspective.
Source: Deutsche Börse
MSCI ESG Research Scores Funds on Sustainability
Over 100 ESG Metrics for each fund measuring exposure to ESG factors including carbon footprint
March 8, 2016--MSCI today announced it has expanded its MSCI ESG Research coverage to include approximately 21,000 mutual funds and ETFs
MSCI ESG Fund Metrics will measure the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) characteristics of portfolio holdings and rank or screen funds based on a diverse set of factors including sustainable impact, values alignment and ESG risks, including carbon footprint.
Source: MSCI
Lyxor ETF Research : WILL CENTRAL BANKS REASSURE ?
March 7, 2016--1-US data improvement: Market performance was driven by the US ISM survey bouncing to near the 50 level. Additionally, there were some signs of moderate but sustained growth in the US.
The Fed Beige Book depicts a moderate and stable expansion. Consumer confidence is holding up more or less. ADP employment data came above expectations (214K for February), a good omen for official payroll numbers (expected at 195K after 151K in January).
Source: Lyxor
IMF WOrking paper-China's Imports Slowdown: Spillovers, Spillins, and Spillbacks
March 7, 2016--Summary: The paper models international spillovers from a hypothetical drop of China's imports as a result of China's rebalancing of its growth model.
A network-based model used in the paper allows capturing higher round network effects of the shock, which are largely unaccounted for in the existing literature. Such effects include direct spillovers from China on its trading partners, subsequent spillins among them, and spillbacks on China itself. The paper finds that the network effects most likely will be substantial, may amplify initial shock, and change the direction of its propagation. The impact on Asia and Pacific will be the strongest followed by the Middle East and Central Asia. The impact on sub-Saharan Africa would be noticeable only for some countries. Spillovers on Europe, including the Euro area, will be moderate, and spillovers on the Western Hemisphere, including the United States, would be very marginal. Metal and non-fuel commodity exporters may experience the largest negative impact.
view the IMF WOrking paper-China's Imports Slowdown: Spillovers, Spillins, and Spillbacks
Source: IMF
March 2016 BIS Quarterly Review: Uneasy calm gives way to turbulence
March 6, 2016--Markets have been roiled since the start of the year by concerns about growth in China and other emerging market economies, and about the health of large global banks.
"The tension between the markets' tranquillity and the underlying economic vulnerabilities had to be resolved at some point. In the recent quarter, we may have been witnessing the beginning of its resolution," said Claudio Borio, Head of the Monetary and Economic Department.
view the BIS Quarterly Review, March 2016
Source: BIS
Deal could scramble industry with 4 of top 5 companies in mix
March 6, 2016--Consolidation would leave losers in proposed deal far behind
A fight for control of London Stock Exchange Group Plc could get bare-knuckled as potential buyers jockey for dominance in an industry that's quickly consolidating.
Source: Bloomberg
Chinese Renminbi to be Identified in the IMF's Currency Composition of Foreign Exchange Reserves
March 4, 2016--The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will separately identify the renminbi (RMB) in its official foreign exchange reserves database starting October 1, 2016.
The change will be reflected in the survey for the fourth quarter of 2016 that will be published at the end of March 2017.
Source: IMF
Investors Buy Gold ETFs at Record Pace
March 4, 2016--February had $7.9B in Gold ETF inflows -and the miners aren't doing too bad either.
The Chart of the Week is a weekly Visual Capitalist feature on Fridays.
What were the three most popular investments over the last month?
If we're judging by ETF inflows, the three areas that investors piled into were precious metals, government bonds, and low-volatility equities.
Notably, it was gold ETFs that set a new record with their highest monthly inflows in eight years, as investors bought $7.9 billion of securities in February.
Source: visualcapitalist.com
Women in ETFs and Five Partner Organizations Ring the Bell for Gender Equality at 34 Stock Exchanges Around the World
March 4, 2016--For the second year in a row, Women in ETFs (WE) will ring the bells at stock exchanges around the world to celebrate International Women's Day (8 March).
This year, WE is partnering with five other organizations in a growing momentum behind gender equality. WE is leading 15 of the 34 stock exchange bell ringings at which WE will also host speakers to present the business case for women's economic empowerment.
Source: WE (Women in ETFS)