Category Archive: News
Green light for AT&T’s purchase of Time Warner
On June 12, a federal judge approved telecommunications giant AT&T’s takeover of Time Warner in a rebuke to the US Justice Department. The deal, worth $85bn, has sparked fears of a frenzy of media acquisitions that would make the market less competitive. The Department of Justice’s attempt to block the merger drew suspicions of political […]
Bayer to retire Monsanto’s name upon completion of merger
On June 4, German drugmaker Bayer announced it would retire the Monsanto name upon closing its acquisition of the company, taking its products under Bayer’s portfolio. The merger, which received regulatory approval on May 29, is set to close on June 7 and will be the biggest outbound merger by a German company since Daimler-Benz bought […]
Federal Reserve announces proposed changes to Volcker Rule
On May 30, the US Federal Reserve unveiled proposed changes to the compliance requirements of the Volcker Rule, one of the foundational pillars of the Dodd-Frank Act that was put in place in the aftermath of the financial crisis. Critics see the move as a continuation of the Trump administration’s undoing of measures put in place […]
Promoting diversity within a corporate world
April 2018 saw the deadline for the new gender pay reporting regulations pass, and it is clear that there is still some way to go before there is pay parity between the genders. In 2010, the European Commission officially named gender balance as a priority on its political agenda. Yet, eight years on, it is questionable […]
Top 5 biggest financial scandals of all time
When millions, or even billions, of dollars are up for grabs, some individuals are willing to play dirty to get their hands on them. Below, World Finance examines five of the biggest financial scandals ever to take place. Charles Ponzi In 1919, Charles Ponzi, an Italian immigrant living in Boston, came up with a scheme […]
Plugging the cannabis knowledge gap
The legal cannabis industry is a unique prospect for those looking for a potentially lucrative investment opportunity. In 2017, sales in the US state of Colorado reached $1bn in just eight months, a 21 percent increase from the same period in the previous year. According to Statistics Canada, Canadians spent around CAD 5.7bn ($4.5bn) on […]
US and South Korea agree exemption from Trump tariffs
The US and South Korea agreed to a revised trading relationship on March 26, in a deal that has been welcomed by both countries. Notably, the proposed changes to the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) will grant South Korea an indefinite exemption from President Trump’s recently announced steel and aluminium tariffs. Although the renegotiated trade deal […]
China hits back in trade war with the US
China has launched a formal investigation into sorghum imports from the US, as the trade war between the two countries heats up. Beijing’s Ministry of Commerce confirmed the probe on February 4, which comes less than two weeks after US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on certain Chinese imports. It is highly unlikely that China […]
Jerome Powell confirmed as the Fed’s next chairman
The US Senate has voted with a sizable majority of 84-13 to confirm Jerome Powell as the next chairman of the Federal Reserve. Powell, who has held a position on the board of governors since 2012, will take over from his predecessor, Janet Yellen, in early February. In contrast to some more radical frontrunners for […]
Cryptocurrencies crash in a rollercoaster week for blockchain shares
Beginning on January 16, cryptocurrency crashes witnessed collective losses of $300bn in just 36 hours. The value of bitcoin crashed dramatically on January 17, falling below $10,000 for the first time in six weeks. Ever prone to sharp fluctuations, the cryptocurrency’s price rallied later in the evening in an unexpected turnaround. The early indications of cryptocurrencies […]
