Global ETF News Older than One Year
Time for private banks to tap Gulf wealth?
January 22, 2014--Private banks need to establish a greater presence in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and place more staff there if they are to benefit from the region's wealth, writes Scorpio Partnership.
A study by the GCC published towards the end of last year, plus publicity surrounding the upcoming World Expo 2020 to be held in Dubai, has concentrated attention on the region, specifically the provision of financial services to the wealthy.
Source: Asian Investor
ETFS Securities-Gold Shorts Shaken by Recent Strong Gold Price Performance
January 21, 2014--Gold shorts shaken by recent strong gold price performance
Despite the US dollar
appreciating on the back of positive economic data, the gold price gained for a second
consecutive week last week. The lower-than-expected payrolls numbers two Friday's ago
appears to have served as a reminder that gold may provide investors one of the better
hedges against the risk that the strong US economic recovery baked into most asset prices
may not be straight-line or may even prove to be wrong.
While short positioning in gold futures remains near record levels, over the past two weeks shorts have moderated and longs have increased, indicating investors’ confidence that gold is the "slam dunk” short that some brokers have been touting may have been shaken by its recent strong performance. Potential for largest mine strikes in South Africa lift platinum and palladium prices. The platinum price rose 1.5% last week, bringing year-to-date gains to 6.6%, recovering above its 200-dma for the first time since August 2013 as news of the potential for the largest South Africa mine strikes since 2012 hit the headlines.
Source: ETF Securities
EU and China begin investment talks
January 20, 2014-- The first round of negotiations for an EU-China investment agreement will take place in Beijing on 21-23 January 2014. A comprehensive EU-China investment agreement will benefit both the EU and China by ensuring that markets are open to investment in both directions. It will also provide a simpler, secure and predictable legal framework to investors in the long term.
The EU sees an investment agreement with China as an important element in closer trade and investment ties between our economies.
One of the EU's priorities in the negotiations will be to remove barriers to EU investors on the Chinese market.
"The current level of bilateral investment between the EU and China is way below what could be expected from two of the most important economic blocks on the planet. Whereas goods and services traded between the EU and China are worth well over €1 billion every day, just 2.1% of overall EU Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is in China. The main purpose for these negotiations is the progressive abolition of restrictions on trade and foreign direct investment and to improve access to the Chinese market for EU investors," said John Clancy, EU Trade Spokesman.view more
Source: Europa
Global launch of World Economic Situation and Prospects 2014
January 20, 2014--The world economy experienced subdued growth for a second year in 2013, but some improvements in the last quarter have led to the UN's more positive forecast.
Global economic growth should increase over the next two years with continuing signs of improvement, according to the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects 2014 (WESP) report, launched today. The global economy is expected to grow at a pace of 3.0 per cent in 2014 and 3.3 per cent in 2015, compared with an estimated growth of 2.1 per cent for 2013.
The euro area has finally ended a protracted recession. Growth in the United States strengthened somewhat. A few large emerging economies, including China and India, managed to backstop the deceleration they experienced in the past two years and veered upwards moderately. These factors point to increasing global growth.
view the UN World Economic Situation and Prospects 2014
Source: UN
Global economy is improving, but remains vulnerable to new and old headwinds that could derail growth, says UN report
A bumpy exit from quantitative easing by major central banks poses risks for financial stability and global growth
January 20, 2014-- Global economic growth should increase over the next two years with continuing signs of improvement, according to the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects 2014 (WESP) report, launched today.
The global economy is expected to grow at a pace of 3.0 per cent in 2014 and 3.3 per cent in 2015, compared with an estimated growth of 2.1 per cent for 2013.
The world economy experienced subdued growth for a second year in 2013, but some improvements in the last quarter have led to the UN’s more positive forecast. The euro area has finally ended a protracted recession. Growth in the United States strengthened somewhat. A few large emerging economies, including China and India, managed to backstop the deceleration they experienced in the past two years and veered upwards moderately. These factors point to increasing global growth.
view the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2014 report
view the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2014 infographic
Source: UN
Warburg Pincus to acquire majority stake in Source
January 20, 2014--Source, an asset manager and one of the market leading European providers of Exchange Traded Products (ETPs),today announced that an affiliate of Warburg Pincus, a global private equity firm focused on growth investing, has committed to acquire a majority stake in Source.
The existing shareholders, including five of the world’s largest investment banks: BofA Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan,Morgan Stanley and Nomura, will continue as minority shareholders. This investment highlights the significant opportunity available to grow Source’s assets and its highly compelling product offering to investors in the European ETP market. It also further reinforces Source‘s position as a dynamic and independent asset manager.
Source: Source
IMF World Economic Outlook (WEO) Update-Is the Tide Rising?
January 20, 2014--Global activity strengthened during the second half of 2013, as anticipated in the October 2013 World Economic Outlook (WEO). Activity is expected to improve further in 2014-15, largely on account of recovery in the advanced economies. Global growth is now projected to be slightly higher in 2014, at around 3.7 percent, rising to 3.9 percent in 2015, a broadly unchanged outlook from the October 2013 WEO. But downward revisions to growth forecasts in some economies highlight continued fragilities, and downside risks remain.
In advanced economies, output gaps generally remain large and, given the risks, the monetary policy stance should stay accommodative while fiscal consolidation continues. In many emerging market and developing economies, stronger external demand from advanced economies will lift growth, although domestic weaknesses remain a concern. Some economies may have room for monetary policy support. In many others, output is close to potential, suggesting that growth declines partly reflect structural factors or a cyclical cooling and that the main policy approach for raising growth must be to push ahead with structural reform. In some economies, there is a need to manage vulnerabilities associated with weakening credit quality and larger capital outflows.
view the World Economic Outlook (WEO) Update- Is the Tide Rising?
view the infographic-World Economic Outlook Update
Source: IMF
Increased Cyber Security Can Save Global Economy Trillions
New World Economic Forum report examines the need for new approaches to increase resilience against cyberattacks
Report offers a framework for collaboration to help leaders build effective cyber risk management platforms
Delays in adopting cyber security capabilities could result in a US$ 3 trillion loss in economic value
January 20, 2014--Failing to improve cyber security could cost the world economy and lead to more frequent cyberattacks, according to a new report released today by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with McKinsey & Company.
The Risk and Responsibility in a Hyperconnected World report addresses options that institutions can take to improve cyber resilience and mitigate the economic and strategic impact of such attacks. With the recent proliferation of cyberattacks, corporate executives need to devote increasing attention to protecting information assets and on-line operations.
view the Risk and Responsibility in a Hyperconnected World report
Source: World Economic Forum (WEF)
US group to run Libor after rate-rigging shame
A subsidiary of Intercontinental-Exchange Group, the owner of the Liffe futures exchange, is to take over the administration of Libor from the British Bankers, Association
January 17, 2014--Responsibility for Libor has been handed to a US exchange group in the wake of revelations the global benchmark lending rate was rigged.
A subsidiary of IntercontinentalExchange Group, the owner of the Liffe futures exchange, is to take over the administration from the British Bankers' Association (BBA) of Libor - the London inter-bank offer rate, which is used to price contracts worth trillions of dollars worldwide.
Source: The Telegraph
DECPG Weekly Global Economic Brief
January 17, 2014--The latest edition of Global Economic Prospects was released this week. The report notes that for the first time in five
years there are indications of a self-sustaining recovery in high-income economies, which is expected to contribute to an acceleration in global growth from 2.4 percent in 2013 to 3.5 percent in 2016.
Growth in developing economies is expected to pick up modestly, but to remain slower than in pre-crisis years, reflecting a downward adjustment to more sustainable growth. Headwinds from the inevitable normalization of monetary policy in high-income economies are expected to be offset by stronger high-income demand for developing countries' exports. While the most likely scenario is that of an orderly adjustment to the withdrawal of quantitative easing in the US, an abrupt reaction could expose vulnerabilities in developing economies with large external or domestic imbalances and rapid credit growth.
Source: World Bank
