The Singapore Exchange was hit by its second disruption this year with the start of trading in some derivatives contracts delayed by over two hours on Thursday morning. It is the latest in a series of technical failures that have become an increasing source of embarrassment in one of Asia’s main financial centres. Most recently, SGX in July halted trading on its securities market for five hours […]
SYDNEY Asian shares hustled to one-month highs on Thursday after Wall Street strode to another record, while bonds rallied on wagers the European Central Bank would extend its stimulus campaign at a policy meeting later in the session. Risk appetite got an extra boost when China reported upbeat trade figures with exports and imports both beating forecasts. Resource imports were very strong, a major reason prices for […]
Britain plans to deepen security cooperation with Gulf Arab countries and work with them to counter Iranian actions in the region, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday. Addressing a meeting on the sidelines of the Gulf Cooperation Summit in Bahrain, May said Britain would invest more than 3 billion pounds in defence spending in the region over the next decade. “Gulf security is our security,” May […]
US stocks hit fresh highs on Tuesday led by transportation, as investors solidified their bets on an improving economy under the Trump administration. The benchmark S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite each clinched their best daily performances since the day before the US election, with the first two also setting new records. Stock markets have been invigorated by the possibility of a wave of […]
A Turkish cyberattack group is luring individuals to join a DDoS platform to compete for points through games which can be redeemed for hacking tools. The platform, dubbed Surface Defense, asks hackers to attack political websites using a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) tool called Balyoz, translated as Sledgehammer. In order to participate, users recruited from hacking forums must download the Surface Defense collaboration software and register. The platform […]
MOSCOW — The Russian government announced Wednesday that it will sell nearly 20 percent of its state oil company, Rosneft, to the Swiss commodity trading firm Glencore and the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar. The deal defies expectations that no investor would dare buy a share in the Russian asset, given Western sanctions against the government of President Vladimir V. Putin. But the emergence of foreign money […]
Blackrock’s chief multi-asset strategist summed up tomorrow’s anxiously awaited ECB meeting best by noting that “what’s priced into markets is a fully fledged extension of the [bond-buying] program,” but warns that, thanks to a muted reaction to the Italy vote and recent encouraging data, “there’s a significant chance the ECB disappoints markets.” As bond traders bet on a six-month QE extension, Citi warns, anything less will be […]
Donald Trump is planning to hand responsibility for immigration and the US-Mexico border to John Kelly, a retired general who led US military operations in Latin America. The president-elect has chosen the former Marine general to be secretary of homeland security, head of the department that oversees immigration policy, US media reported on Wednesday. The job would give Mr Kelly, 66, a pivotal role in implementing border […]
By Richard Cowan | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday picked a fossil fuel industry defender as his top environmental official, another retired general as homeland security chief and Iowa’s governor as U.S. ambassador to China in choices at odds with some of his recent pronouncements. Trump, continuing to build his Cabinet as he prepares to take office on Jan. 20, said Oklahoma Attorney General Scott […]
The UK investigation into October’s “flash crash” in sterling has focused heavily on the Japanese trading operations of Citigroup, which fired off repeated sell orders that exacerbated the pound’s fall, according to bankers and officials involved in the inquiry. Citi’s traders are not believed to have started the slide in the currency in thin Asia trading but its Tokyo desk played a key role in sending the […]
By Dominique Patton and Steve Holland | BEIJING/NEW YORK BEIJING/NEW YORK President-elect Donald Trump will nominate Iowa Governor Terry Branstad as the next U.S. ambassador to China, choosing a longstanding friend of Beijing after rattling the world’s second largest economy with tough talk on trade and a telephone call with the leader of Taiwan. The appointment may help to ease trade tensions between the two countries, the […]
By Steve Holland | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Wednesday he will nominate professional wrestling magnate and former Senate candidate Linda McMahon as his choice to head the Small Business Administration. Trump’s announcement said McMahon would be a key player in his effort to generate stronger job growth and roll back federal regulations. McMahon, 68, is a co-founder and former CEO of the professional […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for December 8, 2016, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. newslide Abu Dhabi Yoga event Catch a screening of the film What is Real, which focuses on Jivamukti yoga and its history and evolution. It focuses on combining vigorous hatha yoga with music, meditation and […]
German and French stocks are closing in on a 20 per cent gain from their post-Brexit low, as a weaker euro and a thawing in sentiment towards banks raise the prospect that markets which disappointed investors for much of 2016 end it in positive territory. While the rebounds of the the two largest equity markets on the continent have been overshadowed by the run of new record […]
DUBAI: Britain will help Gulf states “push back” against aggressive regional actions by Iran, Prime Minister Theresa May told the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Bahrain on Wednesday in a televised address.“We must… continue to confront state actors whose influence fuels instability in the region,” May told Gulf leaders at their annual summit.“So I want to assure you that I am clear-eyed about the threat that Iran […]
The European Central Bank should retool its asset-purchase programme to fund a wave of new infrastructure spending across the continent, according to one of the world’s most powerful bond managers. Rick Rieder, global chief investment officer of BlackRock’s $1.6tn fixed income business, says the ECB should avoid a “false choice” between continuing on its present course or tapering its existing programme, when it meets to decide monetary […]
Saudi Aramco’s planned flotation is unlikely to require any major changes to Saudia Arabia’s securities rules, the vice chairman of the kingdom’s market regulator said. The kingdom’s state oil giant is targeting 2018 for what is expected to be the world’s biggest ever initial public offering, with a listing on both its home exchange and a foreign market among the options being discussed. The move is part […]
Dubai aims to become the seventh leading maritime capital of the world by 2020 ahead of London, New York, Tokyo, Copenhagen, and Rio de Janeiro The UAE is first WTO member from the Arab region to ratify the new Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in April 2016 07 December 2016Dubai aims to become the seventh leading maritime capital of the world by 2020 ahead of London, New […]
This is part of a series on the global rise of exchange traded funds Have we reached Peak ETF? And are we therefore at last in a “stockpicker’s market” where active fund managers skilled in bottom-up stock selection can feast on the mispricings and anomalies that the herd of exchange traded funds have left in their wake? It is beguiling to think that this could have happened. […]
LONDON Citi (C.N) said on Wednesday that its trading operations functioned appropriately in a thin and illiquid market during October’s “flash crash” in sterling, responding to a Financial Times report saying a trader at the U.S. bank exacerbated the pound’s fall. “Sterling fell sharply following a news event just after midnight UK time, when the GBP spot foreign exchange market was extremely illiquid,” Citi said. “Citi managed […]
Trafigura, one of the world’s largest commodity traders, has announced a 12 per cent decline in annual profits as challenging market conditions curbed money-making opportunities and it was forced to write down the value of port and rail assets. In the year to September, net profit was $975m, down from just over $1.1bn in 2015 which was a record year for trading the Geneva-based company. In spite […]
Submitted by Daniel Cloud “Donald Trump is either too incompetent to understand that his foolish phone call threatens our national security, or he’s doing it deliberately because he reportedly wants to build hotels in Taiwan to pad his own pockets.” – (Democratic National Committee Spokesperson) Is that true? Did “incompetent” President-Elect Donald Trump’s “foolish” telephone conversation with Taiwan’s President Cai Yingwen actually “threaten American’s […]
By Charlotte Greenfield | WELLINGTON WELLINGTON Two senior New Zealand ministers threw their support behind Finance Minister Bill English on Wednesday, underpinning his front-runner position in the race to replace John Key, who announced his shock resignation this week. Social Services Minister Paula Bennett and Transport Minister Simon Bridges said they were both running to become deputy leader and would back English’s leadership bid. English, who is […]
Abu Dhabi // Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid led the UAE delegation to the two-day GCC Summit on Tuesday, which is also being attended by UK prime minister Theresa May as she looks to expand trade ties ahead of Britain’s exit from the European Union. The 37th annual talks among the six Gulf member states in Manama were expected to focus on security within the GCC, economic integration […]
