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CBO Releases Report Examining the Reasons for the Slow Growth of the Economy Since the Recent Recession
November 14, 2012--CBO regularly issues reports on the state of the budget and the economy, and today CBO released a study, What Accounts for the Slow Growth of the Economy After the Recession?, with an accompanying infographic providing background information that helps to explain the economic projections included in those reports.
The U.S. economy has grown slowly since the deep recession in 2008 and 2009. In the three years following the recession, the cumulative growth of the nation’s output—real (inflation-adjusted) gross domestic product (GDP)—was nearly 9 percentage points below the average seen in previous economic recoveries since the end of World War II, or less than half the average growth during those other recoveries. What explains that relatively slow rate of economic growth? CBO finds that:
About two-thirds of the difference is from slower growth in the productive capacity of the economy, or potential GDP. That outcome reflects slower growth of all three of the major determinants of that productive capacity: the number of employed workers (adjusted for variations caused by the business cycle); the flow of services available from capital assets such as equipment, structures, inventories, and land; and the efficiency in producing goods and services. Much of the sluggishness of potential GDP since the recession is the result of long-term trends unrelated to the current business cycle, including the nation’s changing demographics.
view the Congressional Budget Office report-What Accounts for the Slow Growth of the Economy After the Recession?
Source: CBO (Congressional Budget Office)
FTSE Licenses Two New Canada Indexes to Vanguard
November 14, 2012--FTSE Group ("FTSE") has licensed the FTSE Canada High Dividend Yield Index and the FTSE Canada All Cap Real Estate Capped 25% Index to Vanguard as the basis of two new Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Both are part of a range of indexes designed to help Canadian investors benchmark unique segments of their equity market.
The FTSE Canada High Dividend Yield Index comprises stocks that are characterized by higher-than-average dividend yields. The index constituents are drawn from the large, mid and small cap country component of the comprehensive FTSE Global Equity Index Series (GEIS), which covers 98% of the world’s investable market capitalization.
The FTSE Canada All Cap Real Estate Capped 25% Index is a market-capitalization-weighted index representing the performance of Canadian REITS and Real Estate Operating Companies as classified by the Industry Classification Benchmark (ICB) System. It is part of a series that represent the performance of key Canadian industry sectors and employs capping to avoid over-concentration. The index is a subset of the FTSE Canada All Cap Index, a component of GEIS.
Visit FTSE.com for more info
Source: FTSE
Stricter oversight sought for money-market funds
November 14, 2012--A group of federal regulators is urging the Securities and Exchange Commission to adopt stricter rules for money-market mutual funds.
The Financial Stability Oversight Council issued the recommendations yesterday. The panel is led by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
Among the recommendations are requirements for funds to hold capital reserves against losses — there are none right now — and limits on how quickly investors can withdraw their money.
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Source: The Columbus Dispatch
CFTC Issues Proposed Swaps Report for Public Comment
Proposed report seeks public input on format, structure, and supporting documentation
November 14, 2012--The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today issued, for public comment, a proposed CFTC Swaps Report that, when the proposal is finalized, will give the public a view into the previously dark swaps market.
The CFTC Swaps Report will offer the public a comprehensive view of the size, risks and activities in the swaps market. The proposal for this new market transparency initiative grew out of the swaps market reforms of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act). While the Dodd-Frank Act only requires the Commission to publish a report on trading, clearing, participants, and products in the swaps market on a semiannual and annual basis (H.R. 4173-322), the agency elected to publish this information on a weekly basis. This much greater level of transparency will allow market participants and the public to gain a more thorough understanding of risks and developments in the swaps market.
view the CFTC cftc swaps report
Source: CFTC.gov
CFTC Seeks Public Comment on Request from ICE Clear Europe Limited for Order Permitting Portfolio Margining of Swaps and Security-Based Swaps in a Customer Account
November 14, 2012--The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (Commission) is requesting public comment on a petition submitted by ICE Clear Europe Limited (ICE Clear Europe) for an order pursuant to Section 4d(f) of the Commodity Exchange Act (Act).
The petition requests an order that would set forth terms and conditions under which ICE Clear Europe and its clearing members that are dually registered as futures commission merchants and securities broker-dealers would be permitted to (1) commingle in an account subject to Section 4d(f) of the Act (a cleared swaps customer account) positions in swaps and security-based swaps and related customer money,
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Source: CFTC.gov
New NYSE glitch puts pressure on SEC to act
November 14, 2012--Yet another interruption to trading at a major US exchange Monday has added more impetus to regulators to review market structure rules and assess the viability of continuing self-regulation of bourses.
A technical problem with a server was blamed for the halting of trading in 216 companies on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) for most of Monday. At 9.38am local time the exchange alerted traders it was having problems with one of its cash equity matching engines and it said it would not publish quotes on the stocks in question.
In August a glitch almost wiped out market maker Knight Capital and in October, broker error was blamed for a surge in Kraft’s share price. In May, the launch of Facebook’s IPO on US exchange Nasdaq OMX was delayed because of a technology fault, and in March, BATS suffered a software problem which affected its own IPO on its own BZX platform.
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Source: The Trade News
Guggenheim Investment Advisory Announces the Launch of the Guggenheim Alternatives Platform
Providing the Wealth Management Community With Improved Access to Hedge Funds
November 14, 2012--Guggenheim Investment Advisory, a business unit of Guggenheim Partners, LLC, announced today the launch of the Guggenheim Alternatives Platform, a web-based solution designed specifically for independent registered investment advisors, private banks and trust companies and similar wealth management firms.
The platform enables such advisors to build and implement customized hedge fund portfolios for their clients by connecting them to Guggenheim Investment Advisory's deeply researched menu of hedge fund managers, along with thematic guidance and support.
"We are pleased to introduce advisors to the Guggenheim Alternatives Platform, which draws on our strong legacy in alternative investing," said Michael Christ, head of Guggenheim Investment Advisory.
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Source: Guggenheim Partners
SSGA-US ETF Snapshot: October 2012
November 13, 2012--SNAPSHOT OVERVIEW
1,240 Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)-with assets totaling $1.3TN-were managed by 37 ETF managers as of October 31, 2012.
Month over month, ETF assets decreased $11.9BN, down 0.9%.
In October, the ETF Industry experienced a 0.9% decline in assets, driven by a $14.4BN drop in the Size - Large Cap category. However, the Fixed Income category had a gain in assets of $5.5BN.
ETF Industry Detail
Asset Classes — Overall
The S&P 500® Index dropped 1.8%, while the MSCI EAFE® Index increased 0.8%. Commodities were negative, with the S&P GSCI® Index down 4.1% and Gold dropping 3.2%. US Bonds were mixed with the Barclays US Treasury Index dropping 0.2% and the Barclays US Aggregate Index increasing 0.2%.
FLOWS
ETF flows topped $2.7BN in October. The Fixed Income category had a leading $5.0BN of inflows, increasing its year-to-date total net flows to $46.5BN. The Size -Large Cap category had the most significant outflows during the month of October, with $9.2BN leaving the category.
Manager and Fund Detail
The top three managers in the US ETF marketplace were: BlackRock, State Street and Vanguard. Collectively, they account for approximately 83% of the US listed ETF market.
The top three ETFs in terms of dollar volume traded for the month were the SPDR S&P 500 [SPY], iShares Russell 2000 [IWM] and PowerShares QQQ [QQQ].
The top three ETFs in terms of assets for the month were the SPDR S&P 500 [SPY], SPDR Gold Shares [GLD] and Vanguard Emerging Markets [VWO].
For more information, including product fact sheets, related whitepapers or to read more visit www.spdrs.com.
Source: State Street Global Advisors
CBOE sues ISE for $525 mln over options trading system
November 13, 2012--The Chicago Board Options Exchange has sued International Securities Exchange LLC for at least $525 million, accusing its rival of infringing three patents related to an automated options trading system.
In a complaint filed on Monday in the U.S. District Court in Chicago, CBOE said the patents were issued in 2008, 2011 and 2012, and cover systems to monitor quote risk and automatically adjust quotes when risk exposure gets too high.
The Chicago-based unit of CBOE Holdings Inc said these methods are "crucial to market maker participation" and that ISE, a unit of Deutsche Boerse AG, has deprived it of profit and royalties by infringing its patents.
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Source: Thomson Reuters
New World Bank Report Finds 50 Percent Increase in Middle Class in Latin America and the Caribbean over Last Decade
Bank President Kim says world can learn from government policies that increased wealth for tens of millions
November 13, 2012-- A new World Bank report released today found that Latin America and the Caribbean registered a 50 percent jump in the number of people joining the middle class during the last decade, which was called by economists an historic achievement for a region long riven by wealth inequality.
The report, called “Economic Mobility and the Rise of the Latin American Middle Class’’, found that the middle class in the region grew to an estimated 152 million in 2009, compared to 103 million in 2003, an increase of 50 percent.
“The recent experience of Latin America and the Caribbean shows the world that policies balancing economic growth while still expanding opportunities for the most vulnerable can spread prosperity to millions of people,” said World Bank President Jim Yong Kim. “Governments in Latin America and the Caribbean still need to do much more – one third of the population is still in poverty – but we should celebrate this achievement of growing the middle class and learn from it.”
view the World Bank report-Economic Mobility and the Rise of the Latin American Middle Class
Source: World Bank
