Category Archive: News
Abbott’s new Australia
Tony Abbott’s election as the new Australian Prime Minister in September comes as the 13th biggest economy enters its 22nd consecutive year of growth. The defeated Labor Government, with the help of the Reserve Bank of Australia, diverted the economy from succumbing to the global financial crisis in their six years of power. This is […]
Globalisation on hold
Five years ago, George W Bush gathered the leaders of the largest rich and developing countries in Washington for the first summit of the G20. In the face of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, the leaders promised not to repeat that era’s descent into economic isolationism, proclaiming their commitment to an open […]
America’s lost tycoon
His life reads like any great Hollywood script. No surprise then that director Ron Howard has flirted with the concept of adapting Swiss Journalist Daniel Ammann’s book The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich for the silver screen. And what an amazing motion picture it would make: a tale of money, power, […]
On the outside looking in: Turkey and the EU
On July 1, the people of Croatia took to the streets in celebration of their country’s official admittance into the European Union. In Istanbul, officials looked on in repugnance. After all, no one has been on the EU’s waiting list longer than Turkey. The government filed its application in April 1987, but has since managed […]
Bundesbank cuts Germany’s growth outlook
Following the central bank’s monthly report, the Bundesbank has downgraded growth forecasts in Germany for both this and next year. However, the institution suggests a recovery for the euro area may well be on the horizon, having recorded a rise in business confidence in May. Bundesbank cut its December projections for 2013 from 0.4 to […]
Recovery “alarmingly uneven”
At the recent IMF Spring Meetings, experts highlighted the discrepancies in the growth rates of countries around the world. PwC, who six months ago coined the term “two-speed economy”, has revised its analysis to include a third speed lane. “Whilst the eurozone continues to focus on crisis management and Japan puts the finishing touches to […]
Hedging emerging market currency risk
Emerging market currency exposure is becoming more important to investors and corporations alike. In the post-crisis world, emerging market regions have been seen as an investment alternative to the troubled G10. An environment of extremely low yields in developed markets has made the higher yields available in emerging markets more attractive – particularly as the […]
Slovenia debates privatisation to avoid bailout
The country is grappling with a credible strategy to enable it to raise funds to remain solvent. Slovenia needs to present a suitable economic reform programme to the European Commission later this week. By selling state-owned bank Nova KBM and telecoms firm Telekom the government hopes it will be able to avoid an international bailout. […]
Asian shares capped, though unsuspected US growth spurs Nikkei
Whereas Asian shares have been capped amid ongoing fears of enfeebled global growth, stronger than expected US job data growth has propelled Japanese equities to a near five-year high. European stock markets incited the Asian cap, with financial spreadbetters anticipating London’s FTSE 100, Paris’s CAC-40 and Frankfurt’s DAX to open down as much as 0.3 […]
Spain joblessness hits record highs
Data released on April 25 revealed Spanish unemployment to have reached 27.2 percent, the highest such figure at least since the nation’s transition to democracy in 1976 – when records began. The report has fuelled European debate in questioning the proven effectiveness of austerity, with many wishing to switch conversely to reviving economic growth. The […]
