Platinum, Palladium Price Fixings Make Way for Electronic System
November 28, 2014--Platinum and palladium prices will be set by phone for the last time today.
The London Metal Exchange will start a new electronic procedure next week that can viewed online. The twice-a-day system replaces one that's been in place since 1989 where BASF Metals Ltd., Goldman Sachs Group Inc., HSBC Holdings Plc and Standard Bank Plc discuss client orders and market demand to agree on a price.
Source: Bloomberg
Poor performance catching up with active stock fund managers
November 28, 2014--Stock-picking fund managers are testing their investors' patience with some of the worst investment returns in decades.
With bad bets on financial shares, missed opportunities in technology stocks and too much cash on the sidelines, roughly 85 percent of active large-cap stock funds have lagged their benchmark indexes through Nov. 25 this year, according to an analysis by Lipper, a Thomson Reuters research unit. It is likely their worst comparative showing in 30 years, Lipper said.
Source: Reuters
Shared Prosperity across the Generations: Employment, Demographic Change, and Well-Being
November 26, 2014--Aging populations present growing challenges for families and policy makers around the world
In countries across the East Asia and Pacific region, private transfers to the elderly continue to be an important source of protection in old age
New research on formal pension systems highlights their potential for reducing poverty, but challenges remain in designing sustainable systems
Source: World Bank
Emerging Markets: What Can Expats Tell Us About Investing?
November 26, 2014--In the same way you can follow Coca-Cola (KO) and McDonalds (MCD) to gain investing insight into developing markets, following the tide of expats can be productive too. Why?
Among the features that makes expats happy is a country's ability to develop an infrastructure that can support a growing middle class, my key metric for evaluating the investment potential of almost any developing market.
Source: Peter Kohli, DMS Funds for NASDAQ.com
NASDAQ Midweek Market Pulse: Market News and Index Movers
Encouraging Signs Heading Into Holiday Season
November 26, 2014-Continuing jobless claims were lower than expected, while initial claims remained high but flat over the past week. A positive sign as we head into the Thanksgiving holiday was personal spending in October increasing by 0.2% versus a prior month decrease of -0.2%.
Durable goods orders increased at a faster pace of 0.4% beating expectations of a decrease of -0.6%.
Worries remain over crude oil's continued slide, breaking through a floor of $74/barrel on WTI contracts. OPEC is considering action on supply where oil ministers may decide to cut production when they meet on November 27th as oil falls near 2010 levels. Meanwhile, gold pared yearly losses to be almost flat for the year near the $1200/oz level.
Source: NASDAQ
U.S. Crude Oil Import From Nigeria Declines By 93 Percent
November 25, 2014--The United States' import of crude oil from Nigeria and Algeria have declined by 93 per cent since 2010,
the U.S Energy Information Administration (IEA), has said.
Source: AllAfrica.com
STOXX-Q4/2014 Quarterly Review
November 25, 2014--STOXX Limited, the market-moving provider of innovative, tradable and global index concepts, today announced the new composition of the STOXX Benchmark and their sub-and sector indices,
among them the STOXX Europe 600 Index, STOXX North America 600 Index and STOXX Asia/Pacific 600 Index.
Source: STOXX
IOSCO Consults on Cross-Border Regulation
November 25, 2014--The International Organization of Securities Commissions today published the consultation report of the IOSCO Task Force on Cross-Border Regulation, which identifies and describes cross-border regulatory tools and challenges.
The consultation report describes three cross-border regulatory tools that have been used, or are under consideration, by IOSCO members to help address the challenges they face in protecting investors, maintaining market quality and reducing systemic risk.
These tools provide the basis for developing a cross-border regulatory toolkit and common terminology describing potential options for IOSCO members to consult when considering cross-border regulations. They can be broadly classified into three main types: National Treatment, Recognition, and Passporting.
view the IOSCO Task Force on Cross-Border Regulation-Consultation Report
Source: IOSCO
STOXX licenses iSTOXX Europe ESG Select 30 to JP Morgan
November 27, 2014--November 25, 2014--STOXX Limited, a leading provider of innovative, tradable and global index concepts, today licensed the iSTOXX Europe ESG Select 30 Index to JP Morgan for a structured product.
The index screens European companies from the STOXX Global ESG Leaders Index for those that pay high dividends and also have low volatility, thus creating a hybrid portfolio of ESG, high dividend and low volatility strategies.
The index is designed to act as an underlying for exchange-traded funds and other investable products, such as structured products.
Source: STOXX
DAX licensed to Fortune SG Fund Management Co. for first passive index fund to become available in China
November 25, 2014--Deutsche Börse today announced that DAX has been licensed to Shanghai-based fund company Fortune SG Fund Management Co. Ltd. to serve as the basis of the first index fund to be developed in China.
"DAX is one of the most attractive underlyings for financial products worldwide as it represents the top companies in one of Europe's strongest economies. As a fully rules-based and objective index of leading German stocks, it provides market participants with the transparency and stability they require in an indexed investment", said Hartmut Graf, chief executive officer, STOXX Limited.
Source: Deutsche Börse