Here are the big questions set to frame a new trading week for markets. How frothy are equity and junk bond valuations looking?Another record-breaking week for equities and a red hot reception for the Snap initial public offering is not the only sign of investor optimism running wild. Junk bond spreads — the premium investors demand to hold the bonds over Treasury yields — are heading towards […]
Hey, it’s boss week here at Local Edition. This week, we’re going to spend a little time with a Florida editor who doesn’t fit many molds (started as a designer, doesn’t care for sandy beaches, etc.) As a reminder, this is week three in our four-week conversation about why we’re still in journalism. (You can subscribe here.) Hang around after the boss talk for a peek at […]
By Matt Spetalnick and David Brunnstrom | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Faced with a growing test of resolve for a new U.S. president who vowed while campaigning to get tough on North Korea, Donald Trump’s aides are pressing to complete a strategy review on how to counter Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear threats. Pyongyang’s latest missile launches and the assassination in Malaysia of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s estranged […]
By Saikat Chatterjee | HONG KONG HONG KONG Asian stocks edged lower on Wednesday after a strong start to the week due to profit-taking as investors lacked conviction to buy risky assets before a U.S. policy meeting next week that may see interest rates rising for the second time in three months. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan eased 0.1 percent in early trade, a […]
After the calls to scale back the buffs on Bastion and the introduction of Orisa as the game’s 24th hero, Blizzard has released an update to the Overwatch PTR that applies changes to several heroes. The changes, which will affect Ana, Junkrat, Sombra, Winston, Zenyatta, and the new hero Orisa, will likely shake up the Overwatch competitive meta. ‘Overwatch’ Buffs And Nerfs In a post on the official Overwatch forums, […]
UNITED NATIONS The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday condemned North Korea’s recent ballistic missile launches and expressed concern over the country’s increasingly destabilising behaviour and defiance of the 15-member body. Pyongyang fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan’s northwest coast on Monday, angering South Korea and Japan, days after it promised retaliation over U.S.-South Korea military drills it sees as preparation for war. The […]
Banks have structured some unusual and complex deals for European companies to raise capital through a combination of debt and equity derivatives in recent weeks, reflecting investor enthusiasm for convertible securities. Last week BASF launched a $600m bond bundled with warrants, in a so-called neutral structure which effectively makes the chemicals group a middleman between its investors and its banks. The deal, put together by Deutsche Bank, […]
American employers increasingly rely on large datasets and computer algorithms to decide who gets interviewed, hired or promoted. While these data algorithms can help to avoid biased human decision-making, they also risk introducing new forms of bias or reinforcing existing biases, suggests a new report. (via WSJ)
By Laila Kearney | NEW YORK NEW YORK A new round of bomb threats against Jewish community centres across the United States and in Canada forced lockdowns and evacuations on Tuesday, and all 100 U.S. senators asked the federal government to help them enhance security. Threats were phoned in or emailed to JCCs in states including New York, Wisconsin, Illinois and Florida overnight and early on Tuesday. […]
As Abdelmonem Alserkal tours his latest architectural commission, his pristine white kandura stands in contrast to the monochrome building that broods in Alserkal Avenue – the warehouse creative community he has brought to life in Dubai’s industrial neighbourhood of Al Quoz. A muted study in steel, small mirrors, translucent polycarbonate and sprayed, shot-blast and polished concrete, the new venue is the latest milestone in Alserkal Avenue’s decade-long […]
The inner workings of the CIA’s cyber-espionage operations were at risk of being laid bare on Tuesday, after WikiLeaks published what it claimed was the first part of a large trove of documents detailing the US agency’s techniques for hacking into smartphones, internet-connected TVs and other devices. The documents purported to reveal a stockpile of malware used by the CIA to break into some of today’s most […]
The biggest impact investing deal to ever see the light of day — that is how a fascinating new hedge fund deal is being touted. Impact investing is the practice of trying to make a measurable, positive societal impact as well as making a financial return on your money. The US hedge fund Mariner Investment Group reckons it has found a way to turn an investment of about $150m into […]
Alzheimer Association released an annual report on March 7, which suggests that number of Americans diagnosed with the disease is likely to increase with around 10 percent people being affected every 33 seconds. The study suggests that by 2050 more than half the Americans aged 65 years and over will suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. This data is also applicable globally. Reports estimate that around 47 million people suffered […]
I still remember August 2, 1990, like it was yesterday. It was a Thursday, and I was awoken at 6.30am by a friend whose extended family were Kuwaiti. He told me that his brother-in-law was claiming that there were Iraqi troops in Kuwait City, and that he could hear gunfire and explosions. Like everybody else, I spent the weekend oscillating between shock, anger and fear. What did […]
GoldenEye ransomware targets human resources departments because they’re used to opening emails and attachments from unknown sources. Image: Ali Donzanti What is a ransomware attack? Cybercriminals didn’t use to be so obvious. If hackers infiltrated your corporate network, they would do everything possible to avoid detection. It was in their best interests not to alert a victim that they’d fallen victim to cybercrime. But now, if you […]
Donald Trump is not alone. When the US president complained, just before taking office, at the size of his country’s trade gap with Germany, he highlighted an issue that has long been the source of irritation in Washington and beyond. It is a topic that is now also stimulating debate within Germany — with possible consequences for the country’s trade ties with the rest of the world […]
Photo A fighter in the Syrian Democratic Forces, an American-backed militia, in the outskirts of Deir al-Zour last month. The militia said it had seized the route linking Raqqa to Deir al-Zour Province on Monday. Credit Delil Souleiman/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images The Islamic State appeared to suffer an important setback on Monday when American-backed militia fighters in Syria seized the main route that connects Raqqa, the […]
Few institutions embodied the eurozone crisis more clearly than Bankia, the Spanish lender which was bailed out in 2012. Yet you would have been hard pressed to see any signs of that as the lender tapped debt markets this month. The bond sale by Bankia, still majority owned by the Spanish government, attracted almost €5bn in orders for the €500m of debt it sold. Its “tier 2” […]
BRUSSELS European Union member states do not have to issue entry visas to people at risk of torture or inhuman treatment, the EU’s top court ruled on Tuesday, cutting off a possible channel for refugees into the bloc. The decision by the European Court of Justice goes against advice from its advocate general, who said last month that such visas had to be issued under EU law. […]
Yet in the other six countries still on Mr. Trump’s list, his decision to push ahead with the ban only stoked their sense of grievance and discrimination. Regional experts repeated earlier warnings that Mr. Trump’s order handed an easy propaganda victory to enemies and might ultimately weaken American security. Continue reading the main story “The idea that this is a Muslim ban has been reinforced even further,” […]
Snap has fallen below Thursday’s opening price, losing 12 per cent on Monday as analysts issued ‘sell’ ratings on the owner of messaging app Snapchat. Shares in Snap, which went public three days ago, closed at $23.77, below its $24 opening price on the New York Stock Exchange. The broader market closed down 0.3 per cent. However, Snap is still 40 per cent above the $17 at […]
Drastic cuts in oil industry investment risk creating a shortfall in supply that by 2020 will expose the market to a surge in prices, the International Energy Agency has warned. Despite a chorus of analysts predicting a decline in oil consumption in the coming years, as governments push for energy efficiencies, cleaner fuel usage and electric cars, the IEA cautioned in its five-year outlook: “We see no […]
Soy food products are usually considered as a healthy intake. However, previous studies suggested that the intake of soy products enables the escalation of breast cancer in women. It occurs due to the availability of oestrogen-like properties in the soy products. Contrary to the earlier reports, a new study which was conducted reveals that a component of soy-based product known as isoflavones is capable of slowing the […]
Bloomberg is fighting to keep the bond house Pimco as a customer on its platform to buy and sell Treasuries, as the advance of automated trading reshapes the $14tn US government debt market. Pimco, one of the most influential debt investors with almost $1.5tn of assets under management, is working on a tie-up with rival trading venue Tradeweb, according to people with knowledge of the discussions, escalating […]
