World Bank-Carbon Pricing Initiatives Valued at Close to US$50 billion
May 26, 2015--New Countries and Regions are Putting a Price on Carbon
The global value of carbon pricing instruments today is estimated at just under US$50 billion, according to Carbon Pricing Watch 2015, a new publication from the World Bank Group and Ecofys.
Emissions trading systems have grown in value from US$32 billion in 2014 to US$34 billion today. That rise is due in part to the addition of the South Korea emissions trading scheme and the expansion of the California and Quebec cap-and-trade programs. Existing carbon tax systems are valued today at around $14 billion, according to the report, released at Carbon Expo today.
Source: World Bank
FTSE to upgrade Palestine Exchange to Frontier market status
May 24, 2015--FTSE group recently informed the PEX of its possible upgrade to frontier market status during the next classification review on September 2015.
Palestine Exchange was informed by a letter from FTSE group that it meets the five qualities of markets criteria, including: regulatory environment, capital controls, clearing & settlement, and market transparency.
Source: Palestine Exchange
Smart beta here to stay, research confirms
May 22, 2015--Smart beta is present in over half of the world's portfolios, with professional investors increasingly combining multiple smart beta strategies, new global research found.
The FTSE Russell Smart Beta: 2015 Global Survey Findings from Asset Owners survey confirmed that 55% of respondents are allocating more than 10% of their portfolios to smart beta strategies.
Source: Financial Standard
DECPG Global Weekly
May 22, 2015--Taking Stock
U.S. Fed minutes downplayed possibility of June rate hike. According to the minutes of the U.S. Federal Reserve's
April 29-30 policy meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee members that thought June could still be the right time for the first rate hike since the financial crisis were outnumbered by members who thought conditions were unlikely to be right by then, following a string of weak economic data released thus far this year.
Meanwhile, new data showed that core inflation rose a larger-than-expected 0.3 percent in April, sending the dollar higher and pushing U.S. government bonds yields up.
Eurozone inflation confirmed at zero in April. Eurozone inflation was zero (y/y) in April, as initially estimated, after falling for four consecutive months. Core inflation, which excludes energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, held steady at 0.6 percent, in line with the earlier flash estimate.
Source: World Bank
WEF-Bringing Space Down to Earth,
May 22, 2015--On April 22, 2015 the World Economic Forum released the report Bringing Space Down to Earth. Space today serves as a critical infrastructure for the world we all live in.
The report Bringing Space Down to Earth, demonstrates how important space is in our daily lives as well as in times of crisis. It also shows why space – and society’s ability to use it – must be protected from natural and man-made hazards.
Source: World Economic Forum (WEF)
State Street Global Advisors-Weekly Market Report
May 22, 2015--This Week's Highlights-Economies
Housing starts rebound in the US. Retail sales rise in Canada. Inflation continues to slow in the UK. ECB signals it will fully implement QE bond purchases. GDP growth accelerates in
Japan. Consumer confidence improves in Australia.
Markets
Risk appetites improve on upbeat activity data and dovish central bank signals. Equities are mostly higher. Yields onG7 government bonds stabilize. USD rises. Oil is range-bound around $65 a barrel.
Next Week Previewed
Spotlight
The Bank of Canada should leave administered rates unchanged. Q1 GDP growth should be revised down in the
US and up in the UK.
Source: spdru.com
Green Growth Bonds Give Individual Investors a Way to Help Address Climate Challenges
May 21, 2015--
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The World Bank pioneered the green bond market, issuing its first green bond in 2008.
The bulk of the Bank's green bonds have been purchased by large asset managers, pension funds, and other institutional investors looking for sustainable and responsible investment opportunities that are specifically targeted to address climate change.
An innovative product called Green Growth Bonds is designed to appeal not only to large institutional investors, but also to individual retail investors.
Source: World Bank
China to boost investment in Russia by 150% in 5yrs-official
May 20, 2015--China may more than double its investment in the Russian economy to $10 billion within 5 years if conditions are favorable, said the Deputy Secretary-General of the China Overseas Development Association He Zhenwei.
Chinese investments abroad currently amount to $140 billion, with about $4 billion investment into Russia.
Source: RT.com
World Bond Market Breaks Apart After Years of Trading in Sync
May 20, 2015--The relationship between the U.S. and Europe is breaking down in the bond market.
After three years of moving more or less in tandem with one another, a measure of the link between U.S. Treasuries and German bunds has fallen to the weakest since 2009.
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Source: Bloomberg
Why Liquidity-Starved Markets Fear the Worst?
Bankers, investors and hedge-fund managers are rattled by the lack of liquidity in the markets
May 20, 2015--Talk to almost any banker, investor or hedge--fund manager today,and one topic is likely to dominate the conversation. It isn't Greece, or the U.S. economy, or China, let alone the U.K.'s referendum on European Union membership.
It is the lack of liquidity in the markets and what this might mean for the world economy—and their businesses.
Source: Wall Street Journal