Thursday, October 8

Finance, Banks, Cryptocurrency, Metals

High finance, equity markets, and the economic data related to it. Big banks, such as the world’s largest asset managers, determine the shape of the economy. Their decisions affect everything from big tech to proxy votes to climate to AI.

Cryptocurrencies are posing challenges for government regulators. For investors, they’re providing the chance to diversify. And despite their risks–and there are many–some investors are diving in, seeing a greater risk is missing out. Meanwhile, the topic of currencies, in general, is important. Fiat currencies like the U.S. dollar and Euro and others are holding up despite their governments’ high debt-to-GDP ratios.

Regulation Needed for $2 Trillion Cryptocurrency Market, SEC Chair Says
Finance, Banks, Cryptocurrency, Metals, Types of News: Videos

Regulation Needed for $2 Trillion Cryptocurrency Market, SEC Chair Says

Asset Class Lacks Protections, Leaving Investors Vulnerable September 1, 2021--Cryptocurrency platforms that provide direct access to millions of people leave investors "vulnerable" and are "rife with fraud, scams, and abuse," according to Gary Gensler, chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Need for Public Policy Speaking by videoconference to the European Parliament Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, Gensler warned that "financial innovations throughout history don’t long thrive outside of public policy frameworks." Gensler is not the first public official to warn about the inherent dangers of investing in cryptocurrencies. Policymakers are increasingly taking an interest. The Bank for International Settlements warned about the rapid rise of virtua...
Investors in Asia Embracing New Sustainable Technologies
Climate Action, ESG, Sustainable Finance, Finance, Banks, Cryptocurrency, Metals, Global Economics, Types of News: Brief

Investors in Asia Embracing New Sustainable Technologies

Photo of Shanghai by Alexander Schimmeck courtesy Unsplash. CONFERENCE COVERAGE: Talks Show Investors Pivoting To 'Purposeful' Portfolios August 24, 2021--Leaders from financial investment firms, consulting agencies, nonprofits and startups met virtually last week to spur collaborations and sustainable investments in Asia. The South China Morning Post’s held the event, called Asia Sustainability Conference. As investors continue to flock to rapidly-developing markets in Asia, the conference reflected growing demand for investment opportunities in line with environmental, social, and corporate governance criteria. "Going forward, we are all equal. There is so much pressure to look at sustainable investments that, with new investments, we are on par with the rest of the world," s...
Finance, Banks, Cryptocurrency, Metals, Types of News: Brief

State-Owned Investment Funds Seek Bargains in COVID-19 Economic Crisis

May 18, 2020-Even as governments and the private sector around the world face economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the related shutdown of economies, some state-owned investment funds have been busy looking for bargains in the stock market. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund purchased $7.7 billion worth of stocks in the United States and Europe during the first three months of 2020. Purchases included a $827.8 million stake in BP, a $714 investment in Boeing, and purchases in Facebook, Bank of America, Citigroup, Walt Disney, Marriott, Pfizer and Starbucks, according to reporting by the Financial Times. And last month, it invested $500 million in the Los Angeles entertainment company Live Nation. The PIF is the tenth-largest sovereign wealth fund in the world....
Big Tech May Pose Big Risks for Finance Firms, Consumers
Big Tech, Digital Economy, Finance, Banks, Cryptocurrency, Metals, Types of News: Analysis

Big Tech May Pose Big Risks for Finance Firms, Consumers

June 25, 2019 -- As big technology firms expand their services to include finance, it is poses new risks to consumers, competitors and financial systems. With large customer bases, access to massive amounts of data and the ability to scale-up quickly, technology-service providers like Alibaba, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Groupon and Tencent are poised to change the financial-services industry, international analysts say. A Ripe Opportunity for Growth Currently earning just 11 percent of their revenues from their financial services, many tech firms are eyeing the field as a means to make big profits. New services include payments systems, digital money, money management, insurance and lending. "Big techs have the potential to loom large very quickly as systemically relev...
Market Correction Could See 40 Percent Drop, JP Morgan Exec Says
Finance, Banks, Cryptocurrency, Metals, Global Economics, Types of News: Brief

Market Correction Could See 40 Percent Drop, JP Morgan Exec Says

March 8--Although equity markets are still in a growth cycle, an eventual correction could mean a decline of 20 to 40 percent, according to a top executive at JP Morgan Chase & Co. "Markets are functioning, and we're doing well," Daniel Pinto, JP Morgan Co-President and Co-Chief Operating Officer, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Thursday. "We know there will be a correction at some point." Pinto estimated that the markets have two to three years before the end of the growth cycle. He said that while volatility has come down, markets are still going to react to "anything that relates to inflation or growth." Eventually, when liquidity dries up, markets could fall as much as 40 percent. "The most important thing for someone like us is just to be prepared. Be...
Government Regulators Raise Alarms on Virtual Currencies
Finance, Banks, Cryptocurrency, Metals, Types of News: Brief

Government Regulators Raise Alarms on Virtual Currencies

As virtual currencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple rise in use and value, government regulators around the world are paying closer attention, issuing consumer warnings, and are looking for ways to regulate them. The international nature of virtual currencies, also called cryptocurrencies, allows them to operate outside the reach of national governments. But increasingly, regulators are considering ways to oversee the exchanges or, in some cases, ban them. The Rise and the Risk Cryptocurrencies are gaining in popularity and in dollar terms. The combined value of cryptocurrencies reached $800 billion earlier this year before falling down to $433 billion. In the past five years, Bitcoin's value alone rose from $5 billion in 2013 to $115 billion in 2018. Observers say the wild flu...