Global ETF News Older than One Year
Global food prices steady in December, 2013 prices third highest on record-UN agency
January 9, 2014-For the second consecutive month, the cost of food worldwide remained nearly unchanged in December, with overall global food prices for 2013 among the highest on record, the United Nations food agency today reported.
In a news release, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said its most recent Food Price Index averaged 206.7 points, nearly the same as the 206.4 in November.
Source: UN
Thomson Reuters-Global Conduct Risk Survey Report
January 9, 2014--The aftermath of the financial crisis sparked significant changes in the approach taken toward financial services regulation around the world. Regulators' attention and resources are now centered on the behavior of firms and how they conduct their business.
To support the financial services industry in its management of conduct risk, and enable firms to benchmark their own practices against global peers, Thomson Reuters Accelus has undertaken its first survey dedicated to finding out how the industry is defining and dealing with conduct risk.
The responses received covered the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe and the Middle East, and represented firms from across the financial services sector, including banks, insurers and fund managers.
Source: Thomson Reuters
Traders Say Emerging Markets' Loss Has Been Spain and Italy’s Gain
January 9, 2014--Stock markets in Spain and Italy have started the year on a firm footing even as emerging markets struggle.
Traders say the Southern European markets are benefiting from money flowing out of the developing world, particularly as money managers appear reluctant to buy U.S. stocks at or near their all-time highs.
Source: Wall Street Journal
DECPG Weekly Global Economic Brief
January 9, 2014--Markets reaction to the announcement by the the US Federal Reserve on December 18th of a gradual unwinding of its quantitative easing program has been muted so far. Currencies and stock markets in developing countries remained mostly stable, with a few exceptions where country-specific factors played a role.
Capital flows to developing countries have rebounded since September, after earlier tapering expectations caused a significant rebalancing of global portfolios. Business sentiment indicators for December suggest a continued improvement in global economic activity.
The US Federal Reserve started to taper off its unprecedented monetary stimulus in early January, but financial markets have remained broadly calm. Market reaction has been muted since the announcement on December 18 that tapering of US quantitative easing would start in January. US 10-year bond yields are up only 12 basis points, to 2.97 percent, since December 18(compared to a 80 bps increase between late May and August of 2013 following initial tapering expectations), and the S&P500 stock index is 1 percent higher.
Source: World Bank
Deutsche funds unit names head of research
January 9, 2014--Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management (DeAWM) has hired Philip Poole as head of Research.
The new role will see Poole leading research activity across DeAWM's investment platform globally. With responsibility for macro research, he will make a key contribution to the house view generated by DeAWM's chief investment office.
Source: FTSE Global Markets
Chinese Investment in U.S. Doubles to $14 Billion in 2013
January 8, 2014--Chinese companies are on a North American buying spree, investing $14 billion in the U.S. last year, a record high, says a new report by New York's Rhodium Group.
"Chinese investment in the United States doubled in 2013, driven by large-scale acquisitions in food, energy and real estate," write analysts Thilo Hanemann and Cassie Gao in "Chinese FDI in the U.S.: 2013 Recap and 2014 Outlook,," released on Jan. 7.
Source: BusinessWeek
Proposed Assessment Methodologies for Identifying Non-Bank Non-Insurer Global Systemically Important Financial Institutions
January 8, 2014--The Financial Stability Board (FSB) and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) are publishing today for public consultation Assessment Methodologies for Identifying Non-bank Non-insurer Global Systemically Important Financial Institutions (NBNI G-SIFIs).
Systemically important financial institutions (SIFIs) are institutions whose distress or disorderly failure, because of their size, complexity and systemic interconnectedness, would cause significant disruption to the wider financial system and economic activity. At the Seoul Summit in 2010, the G20 Leaders endorsed the FSB framework for reducing the systemic and moral hazard risks posed by SIFIs.
Source: IOSCO
BATS Global Markets in December: New Monthly Records in Spain, Europe Depositary Receipts; Continues to Target 1Q Direct Edge Merger Close
U.S. Equities Market Share Totals 9.9%;
BATS Chi-X Europe Reports 21.7% Market Share, Records in Spain, DRs
January 8, 2014--BATS Global Markets (BATS) today reports new monthly market share records in Europe-9.8% in Depositary Receipts (FTSE RIOB) trading and 15.9% in Spain's IBEX 35-while remaining the largest stock exchange in the region.
Monthly overall European market share was 21.7% in December while, in the U.S., BATS reported 9.9% market share in U.S. equities and 2.3% in U.S. options.
"The past year was one of pivotal growth for BATS and we are excited about the opportunities before us as we move closer to the completion of the Direct Edge merger and continue to expand in Europe," said BATS Global Markets CEO Joe Ratterman.
Source: BATS Global Markets, Inc.
East Africa: Despite Legal Attacks, Conflict Minerals Ban Gets Stronger
January 8, 2014--Major manufacturing and business groups on Tuesday urged a court here to roll back a new U.S. regulation that would soon require major manufacturers to ensure that their global supply chains are free of minerals used to fund violence in the Great Lakes region of central Africa.
Yet the previous day, Intel, the major computer hardware manufacturer, announced the world's first product formally dubbed free of such materials, stating that its microprocessors would no longer use "conflict minerals". The announcement highlights trends that advocates of greater supply chain accountability say are already well underway, and which they suggest belie parts of the legal case against the rule.
Source: AllAfrica.com
Chinese FDI in the US: 2013 Recap and 2014 Outlook
January 7, 2014--Chinese investment in the United States doubled in 2013, driven by large-scale acquisitions in food, energy and real estate. Private firms are now dominating capital inflows, accounting for more than 80% of transactions and more than 70% of total transaction value.
We expect Chinese interest in US assets to remain strong in 2014 because of aggressive economic reforms in China, a more liberal policy environment for Chinese outbound investors, and a positive outlook for the US economy.
This note recaps the key trends of Chinese investment in the US in 2013 and outlines our view for 2014.
Key Trends in 2013
1. More transactions, bigger deals: After a 36% drop in transactions in 2012, the number of Chinese US deals trended up again in 2013. We count a total of 82 investments, split between 44 acquisitions and 38 greenfield projects (though the number of greenfield investments will likely be upward-revised in coming months). At the same time, the average size of projects increased, lifting the total deal value to a new record high of $14 billion, double the amount of the previous year. The top six transactions (Smithfield, Nexen US, Mississippi Lime JV, Chase Manhattan Plaza, General Motors Building, Wolfcamp Shale) account for more than 80% of total combined value.
Source: Rhodium Group, LLC
