financializer news A weblog highlighting financial topics making news in the international media.

: Lake forderte Regierungen und andere mögliche Geber auf, die benötigte Summe bereitzustellen, according to Deutsche Welle. Jedes neunte Kind lebt in einem Konfliktgebiet Der Hilfsbedarf habe sich in wenigen Jahren verdoppelt, hieß es bei UNICEF weiter. Insgesamt solle die Hilfe 76 Millionen Menschen - den Kindern sowie Eltern und/oder Betreuern - zugutekommen. Inzwischen lebe "jedes neunte Kind auf der Welt in einem Konfliktgebiet". Das Risiko für diese Kinder, vor ihrem fünften Geburtstag an vermeidbaren Krankheiten zu sterben, sei etwa doppelt so hoch wie bei Kindern außerhalb von Konfliktgebieten. Das Hilfswerk will für fünf Millionen syrische Jungen und Mädchen innerhalb und außerhalb ihrer Heimat - so etwa auch im Irak, Libanon, in Jordanien und der Türkei - eine Schulbildung finanzieren. UNICEF-Direktor Anthony Lake Die Hilfe für die Opfer des Bürgerkriegs in Syrien wird den Angaben nach 2016 die größte humanitäre UNICEF-Operation sein. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

: On Monday, it climbed 152.38 points, according to The Japan Times. The Topix ended down 32.40 points, or 2.33 percent, at 1,360.23, after rising 18.44 points the previous day. The Nikkei lost 402.01 points, or 2.35 percent, to finish at 16,708.90. Both indexes lost ground for the first time in three market days. The market was also weighed by the yen rise against the dollar and a drop of Shanghai stocks. Tokyo stocks met with heavy selling from the outset of the day trading, after the U.S. Dow Jones industrial average shed over 200 points on Monday on the back of a renewed fall in crude oil prices. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

Hans-Peter Bartels: Noch mehr Reduzierung gehe nicht, so das Fazit von Hans-Peter Bartels, according to Deutsche Welle. Bis zu 650 deutsche Soldaten nach Mali Die Bundeswehr schickt erstmals mehrere Hundert Soldaten in den unsicheren Norden Malis. Die Redaktion sieht Bundeswehr am Wendepunkt Der Wehrbeauftragte des Bundestages hat in seinem Jahresbericht 2015 die Defizite der Bundeswehr schonungslos benannt. Das beschloss das Bundeskabinett. Soldaten als Flüchtlingshelfer Seit Monaten helfen Tausende Soldaten bei der Aufnahme und Versorgung der Flüchtlinge in Deutschland. Auch die Ausbildungsmission für die Peschmerga im Nordirak wird ausgeweitet. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

currencies: The ICE U.S. Dollar index DXY, -0.05% a measure of the dollar strength against a basket of six rival currencies, was down 0.3% to 99.0990, its decline could be primarily attributed to renewed strength in the British pound, which briefly traded at $1.4368, its highest level in more than a week, earlier in the session, according to Market Watch. More recently, the pound GBPUSD, -0.4320% traded $1.4360, compared with $1.4221 late Monday. But the currency traded higher against the yen as rising oil prices diminished investor demand for haven assets like the Japanese currency. Market strategists said the currency was rebounding after weakening against the dollar for several weeks. Investors attributed the moves to the unwinding of long-dollar positions as risk sentiment recovered and investors braced for a dovish statement from the Fed. The euro EURUSD, +0.0460% traded at $1.0860 late Tuesday in New York, compared with $1.0854 late Monday. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

Russia: A farming project with China was also proposed, according to The Japan Times. The dispute over the islands, known as the Kuriles in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan, have strained relations between the two countries since World War II, when Soviet forces occupied them. Yuri Trutnev, President Vladimir Putin special envoy for Russia Far Eastern region, said the offer is part of a broader plan to develop a huge territory rich in resources but poorly developed and lacking infrastructure from roads and labor to communications. Moscow has angered Tokyo in recent years by having state officials visit the islands, situated seven time zones from the Russian capital, and stepping up military activities there. The conditions are ideal there for fishing and fish farming. We want to develop the Kuriles at a brisk pace, Deputy Prime Minister Trutnev said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos last week. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

: And that means there more to do, he will say in his Australia Day address at the Brimbank Council Citizenship Ceremony in Sunshine in his Melbourne electorate on Tuesday morning, according to Nine News Australia. Mr Shorten said Australia was made stronger by co-operation, greater opportunity, shared reward and the "sacred anthem of the fair go". But the mission of building a fairer Australian wasn't yet done."For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the long shadow of prejudice, discrimination and exclusion still diminishes their lives and living standards and taints our constitution," Mr Shorten says. Australia had achieved a quarter century of economic growth yet inequality was at a 75-year high. Australia still isn't a nation of equal pay and opportunity for women. Click here for more information. Mr Shorten says earnings have risen three times faster for the top 10 per cent of income earners than the bottom 10 per cent and Australia three richest controlled more wealth than the bottom million."So today, let us promise to make equality and egalitarianism more than paper virtues, invoked on public holidays," he said."Let us tackle the poverty, the inequality, the inter-generational disadvantage which jeopardise our national prosperity."Mr Shorten said for the first Australia Day in history leaders of both major parties were avowed republicans."So today I say to the prime minister, let us work together to seize this moment to lead the movement for change," he said.© AAP 2016Politics Send your photos, videos and stories to can remain anonymous. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

Ford Motor Co: And the Australian share market looks set to open lower following falls on Wall Street and further declines in the price of oil, according to Nine News Australia. At 0645 AEDT on Tuesday, the share price index was down 18 points at 4,931. At 0723 AEDT on Tuesday, the local unit was trading at 69.65 US cents, down from 70.17 cents on Friday. MOSCOW - Russia economy shrank 3.7 per cent in 2015, the worst drop since the depths of the global financial crisis, the state statistics service said. DETROIT - Ford Motor Co says it pulling out of Japan and Indonesia before the end of the year because there is no path to grow sales or make sustained profits. RIYADH - The chairman of Saudi Arabia state oil giant said that plans for a possible initial public offering are not being driven by a need for cash amid a global slump in oil prices, but instead signal a desire for greater openness to outside investors. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

treasury bonds: BONDS -- Around 22.3 trillion yuan of bonds were issued, up 87.5 percent year on year, according to Xinhua China. Of these, 21 trillion yuan went through the interbank market. -- The central government issued 2 trillion yuan of treasury bonds. A summary of key market indices in 2015, released by the People Bank of China on Monday, helps clarify the complex picture. Local governments issued 3.8 trillion yuan. -- China three policy banks -- Agricultural Development Bank of China, China Development Bank, the Export-import Bank of China -- issued a total of 2.6 trillion yuan between them. STOCK MARKET VOLATILITY -- The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rose 9.41 percent to close the year at 3,539.18. INTERBANK MARKET -- Interbank transactions, including lending and borrowing, more than doubled, up 101.3 percent to 609 trillion yuan. -- Weighted average interest rate of pledged repo transactions stood at 1.95 percent in December, down 154 basis points from a year ago. -- The weighted average interbank offered rate was down by 152 basis points to 1.97 percent. -- At the end of 2015, there were 9,642 institutions in the interbank market, up 49.2 percent. -- China allowed 128 new overseas institutions, such as central banks and sovereign wealth funds, into the interbank market, bringing the total to 308. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

China Economic Monitoring Analysis Center: The Chinese economy expanded 6.9 percent last year, recording a 25-year low, according to Xinhua China. The lackluster GDP figure is interpreted as a signal of an impending hard landing according to reports in foreign media, but Chinese consumers have yet to display signs of economic pinch. "If you paid a visit to steel mills and coal mines, you will think that the Chinese economy is all doom and gloom. Such is the current case for China economy during its new normal growth period. But you will feel quite the opposite if you visit the bustling innovation center in China Silicon Valley, Zhongguancun, or cinemas where the seats are full," said Pan Jiancheng, deputy head with China Economic Monitoring & Analysis Center of the National Bureau of Statistics. By traditional standards, the Chinese economy is slowing, with drops in GDP growth, industrial product prices, profitability of factories and fiscal revenue. China is currently spreading growth among different sectors as the economy shifts from investment to consumption, Pan said. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

business revenue: Although the decline narrowed from a 9.5-percent drop seen in the January-November period, the ministry said downward pressure remained "relatively big." Total business revenue for state firms decreased 5.4 percent from a year ago to 45.47 trillion yuan, while operating costs went down 4.8 percent to 44.52 trillion yuan, according to Xinhua China. SOEs in the areas of transportation, petrochemicals and machinery saw profit growth, while the steel and non-ferrous metal sectors continued to suffer losses. The combined profits of China SOEs fell 6.7 percent year on year to 2.3 trillion yuan last year. By the end of last year, total assets of SOEs stood at 119.2 trillion yuan, while liabilities grew 18.5 percent year on year to 79.1 trillion yuan. China has about 150,000 SOEs, and many have become ossified by declining profitability due to a lack of competition. The figures, which exclude financial firms, were collected from SOEs in 36 provincial-level regions and those administered by the central government. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

Labor leader: His electoral success - lifting Labor from just 10 seats when he became leader in 1994 to a peak of 28 in 2006 - was undeniable, according to Nine News Australia. And while the state economic struggles have clouded his fiscal legacy, Mr Rann says major projects like the revitalised Adelaide Oval have improved SA global standing."As a government we didn't shy from making tough and controversial decisions," he told AAP."We didn't want to be a do-nothing government. Mr Rann was Labor leader in SA for 17 years and spent almost a decade as premier before being forced to stand down in 2011 after losing key factional support. We were elected to lead, not wring our hands."The former premier has been appointed Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to the parliament and community of SA. Mr Rann post-retirement career has been largely focused overseas, landing plum postings as Australia high commissioner to the UK and more recently as ambassador to Italy. But he is looking forward to returning to Adelaide and says a recent visit for the funeral of former premier John Bannon showed how far the city had come since his time in office."We wanted to improve services and amenities for citizens and visitors around South Australia," he said."This was a team effort involving many people."Mr Rann says the award is in recognition of the hard work of many loyal staff and parliamentary colleagues. He has since been appointed a visiting professor at the prestigious King College in London and launched his own consultancy group, with prospective clients to include renewable energy companies. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

Bank of Japan: On Friday, the key market gauge soared 941.27 points, posting the biggest single-day point gain since Sept. 9, 2015, when it skyrocketed 1,343.43 points, according to The Japan Times. The Topix index of all first-section issues finished up 18.44 points, or 1.34 percent, at 1,392.63, after jumping 72.70 points the previous trading day. The 225-issue Nikkei climbed 152.38 points, or 0.90 percent, to end at 17,110.91, its first finish above 17,000 since Tuesday. Tokyo stocks kicked off the week with gains after European and U.S. equities advanced Friday, backed by higher crude oil prices and expectations for additional monetary easing steps by the European Central Bank, as well as by the Bank of Japan, brokers said. After the initial buying ran its course, the Tokyo market briefly came under profit-taking pressure, pushing down the Nikkei average into negative territory at one point. Investors also took heart from the yen drop, according to brokers. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

Washington area: In Washington, where a traffic ban was still in effect, the recovery got off to a slower start, with the entire transit system closed through Sunday, according to The Japan Times. Federal government offices in the Washington area will be closed on Monday, the Office of Personnel Management said. Midtown Manhattan came back to life as residents and tourists rejoiced in the warming sunlight, digging out buried cars, heading to Broadway shows and frolicking in massive drifts left by New York City second-biggest snowstorm in history. Even so, many people were out in the street. The entire region seemed to breathe a sigh of relief after the historic storm that left at least 20 dead in several states, even as transit systems in Washington and New York were still working on restoring full service in time for the Monday morning rush. Some skied and snowboarded down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial until security officials moved them on. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

: Back on planet Earth, the Tokyo conventional wisdom is coming in for a brutal reality check, according to The Japan Times. The Nikkei has officially entered a bear market, with shares down 21 percent on Wednesday from a recent peak in June. If only those hacks in Beijing knew how to run an economy, Japanese stocks would be booming, deflation a distant memory and Abenomics 101 the newest class at Harvard Business School this semester. The blame doesn’t belong to China, but to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe squandering three-plus years of the most enviable reform environment Japan has seen in decades. Abe done even less than that. If Abe had delivered on even 10 percent of the restructuring he promised, investors wouldn’t be fleeing, regardless of China growth rate. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

: The Catholic couple had long dreamed of taking a long family holiday, and when they heard Pope Francis, a fellow Argentinian, would be in Philadelphia in September, they took the plunge, according to Nine News Australia. They enrolled their children in online courses and piled into their 35-year-old Kombi van, which they named 'Francisca', and set off on the 18-country, 21,000 km journey north."This was a trip of hope," Ms Zemborain said last week, while travelling through North Carolina. Noel Zemborain and Alfredo Walker, from Buenos Aires, quit their comfortable middle class jobs in March to set off with their three children, Carmin, 3, Dimas, 8, and 12-year-old Cala, the Washington Post reports. The weary kombi van has broken down more times than they can count, with strangers and amateur mechanics often giving them a hand, or a dollar, to help them on their way. The couple said they have no idea what they will do when they eventually return home."We'll look for work, but I don't know if we'll succeed, if we'll find something," Mr Walker said.© ninemsn 2015World Email your news tips Do you have any news photos or videos Career News: When to turn down a promotion - seek.com.au Property news: Op-shop bargains for the home - realestate.com.au Career news: The top five highest paid industries - news: Live like a Lannister - realestate.com.au Career news: How to create a business plan in five steps - seeklearning.com.au A blog of the trip has drawn more than 100,000 visits and turned the family into minor celebrities among Spanish-speaking Catholics in South America and the US. The family are set to arrive in Philadelphia today, not long after Pope Francis arrived. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

: Interior ministers were hoping to find a way of settling the highly controversial distribution of the 120,000 across Europe during Tuesday meeting, according to The Guardian. Instead, the home secretary said Britain would only take people direct from Syrian refugee camps in the Middle East and emphasised the need for wider European measures to return those people who are illegally economic migrants and who have no right to be here . She made clear that she saw Britain role, at the crunch meeting being held on the eve of a refugee crisis summit of European prime ministers, as being to push for rigorous processing of those who have made it to Europe. Arriving at the extraordinary European Union interior ministers refugee crisis meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, Theresa May confirmed that Britain would not be taking part in a further EU programme to relocate 120,000 refugees from Italy, Greece and Hungary. We must ensure that people arriving at Europe borders are being properly dealt with, properly fingerprinted so that decisions can be made and when they are illegal economic migrants, they can be returned, May said. Both Ireland and Denmark, which also have opt-outs, have said they will nevertheless take some of the refugees from within Europe. Britain, which under the Lisbon Treaty can opt out of the EU refugee relocation programme, is the only member state that will not participate in some form or other. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

Food Drug Administration: Close video Morning Joe, 9/21/15, 7:12 AM ET Clinton up, Sanders drops in latest poll Hillary Clinton lead has grown in a new national poll, according to numbers from John Heilemann. facebook twitter embed like save share group discuss Clinton has devoted this week of her presidential campaign to health care, and defended the Affordable Care Act while campaigning in Louisiana and Arkansas Monday, according to MSNBC. According to campaign official, Clinton will make a number of proposals favored by consumer advocates. Clinton will roll out a proposal in Iowa Tuesday to lower prescription drugs costs – a plan that is already affecting stock prices of drug companies. Clinton will call for cracking down on pharmaceutical drug ads by denying tax breaks for direct-to-consumer marketing and requiring the Food and Drug Administration to pre-clear the ads for accuracy and clarity. And she’d allow Americans to import cheaper drugs from Canada and other foreign country where the drugs are cheaper. * Hillary Clinton lead narrows: survey* To lower the cost of drugs for the millions of Americans on Medicare, she’d allow the government health care program for seniors to leverage its market share to demand lower prices, an idea she also favored during her 2008 campaign. The aim would be to push companies to invest more in research and development than marketing, especially taxpayer subsidies Clinton would also expand the availability of generics by boosting the FDA capacity to approve the drugs, and she’d decrease the intellectual property protections for expensive biologic drugs so generics could be produced faster. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

Australia: The study by economics consultancy Alpha Beta uses data from the International Monetary Fund, which estimates that Australia economy loses 0.2 per cent growth for every 1 percentage point fall in China investment growth, according to Australian Broadcasting Corporation. While countries such as Japan and Germany are affected because of their capital goods exports to China, Australia is affected because demand for iron ore and coal to make steel, as well as copper for pipes and electrical wiring, falls with lower construction activity. Map: China A new report predicts that China investment slowdown, as it moves from being an industrial to services-dominated economy, will lower Australia economic growth by 1 percentage point per annum. Lose-lose scenario for Australia Australia economy faces big challenges, whether China economic transition to services and consumption succeeds or not, argues Michael Janda. With China investment slowdown expected to run for at least five-10 years, Alpha Beta said that Australia economyis likely to face a headwind to growth of around 1 percentage point per annum, from this source alone. In Alpha Beta analysis only Chile, a major copper producer, and Zambia suffer more than Australia as China shifts to a more services and consumption-oriented economy. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

: What matters much more is that Mr Osborne seems to be using the visit to set out – though without quite admitting it – the essential economic statecraft strategy of the current Conservative government, according to The Guardian. That strategy, given added immediacy by the higher-than-expected borrowing figures announced today, is to make Britain increasingly dependent upon inward investment by rich, often authoritarian, nations in order to help finance UK economic growth while maintaining a low-tax regime at home. But what is principally significant is not the sight of a chancellor of the exchequer auditioning for the post of prime minister, interesting though that is. There are broad echoes of the Gordon Brown era in this. His stealthy strategy was to give the UK financial sector its head in return for taxation which he would direct into extra spending on the NHS, the working poor and the elderly. Mr Brown had to face the conundrum of how to supply the Scandinavian levels of public spending the public would like to see while maintaining the American levels of taxation that the public appears willing to pay. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

: As NBC Vaughn Hillyard reports, what Rubio lacks in Iowa right now is a strong organization and ground game, according to MSNBC. And what did Walker have A strong organization and ground game. And there are multiple candidates who could benefit. - Let start with Marco Rubio, who could pick up some of Walker organization. Also of note: last night, Rubio campaign manager Terry Sullivan said that the campaign had picked up the support of Walker New Hampshire state co-chair. - There Ted Cruz, who was vying with Walker for support among Iowa evangelicals. Cruz aides tell O’Donnell that they have attracted support from some key influence leaders and active conservatives from three states including Iowa, Georgia and Nevada. NBC Kelly O’Donnell reports that Cruz is expected to look to hire Walker campaign staff based in the Hawkeye State, where Cruz has had two paid staffers on the books and hopes to add several more. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

: Terrorists are already publicly stating that they have targets set on Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem, according to The Moscow Times. Their plans include expanding activities to Europe, Russia, Central and Southeast Asia." Putin couldn't be more correct. The Islamic State controls significant stretches of territory in Iraq and Syria. The Islamic State threatens Russia and Central Asia specifically. Putin also blames American foreign policy for the migrant crisis currently engulfing Europe and has called for an international coalition against terrorism and extremism. Even though the Kremlin sees the rise of the Islamic State as the product of destructive American foreign policy and military operations that leave ungovernable holes later filled in by terrorists and transnational criminal groups, the Kremlin is intent on being a part of the solution to these problems. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

: They may not know each other personally, but they all have something in common: They created a product for their partners as the ultimate gesture of love, according to CNN. Whether it was inventing an all-terrain wheelchair or programming a mobile app, these men have set the bar high in modern-day romance. Meet John Mikelich, Brad Soden, Chris Limburg and Mike Tepedino. Jamie To DoJohn and Jamie Mikelich Los Angeles When a programmer falls in love with a to-do list fanatic, good ideas are bound to come about. John was busing tables and making video games when he picked up on Jamie complaints about other productivity apps. For John and Jamie Mikelich, that idea was the "Jamie To Do" app. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

Asian Development Bank: 0426 GMT Dow Jones Hong Kong equities advance in the morning session taking cues from global benchmarks on Monday, despite the Asian Development Bank cutting its economic outlook for the region and downgrading Chinese growth to 6.8% from 7.3% last year. Chinese stocks are also lifted as the Conference Board s Leading Economic Index rises 1% to 334.4 in August. The improvement stemmed primarily from bank loans and better performance in housing starts, says Andrew Polk, resident economist at The Conference Board China Center: However, compared to a year ago, housing starts remain deeply entrenched in... (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

Malaysian ringgit: The Malaysian ringgit fell by 0.5% against the U.S. dollar while the Thai baht and Indonesian rupiah.., according to Wall Street Journal and Most Asian currencies weakened on Tuesday after comments by U.S. Federal Reserve speakers suggested the central bank could raise interest rates as early as next month, while shares made modest gains ahead of a reading on Chinese manufacturing. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

Pope: The far-right congressman said it’d be fine if the religious leader addressed moral issues Gosar cares about, but since Francis is likely to reference moral issues the pope cares about, the Arizona Republican isn’t interested, according to MSNBC. When the Pope chooses to act and talk like a leftist politician, then he can expect to be treated like one, the congressman wrote. Paul Gosar announced last week when Pope Francis delivers remarks to a joint session of Congress, he intends to boycott. Similarly, Rep. I’m hopeful that Pope Francis will speak to these two issues: One is the church unfailing and steadfast opposition to abortion, the position that life begins at the moment of conception and it ends at natural death, and the dignity of every human person. Steve King – who, like Gosar, is Roman Catholic – sat down with *Politico* this week to flesh out his expectations for the papal address. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

: I refuse to be intimidated by Russia tactics, according to The Moscow Times. Reuters reported on Monday that lawyers for Pugachyov had issued notice of a claim of more than $10 billion against Russia that is likely to be heard in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. Over the past few years, Russia has pursued a multi-pronged attack against me, my family, and my investments, Pugachyov said in a written statement on Tuesday. Pugachyov lawyers said that such claims can take years but noted that Moscow is already fighting a separate ruling by the same court in 2014, when it was ordered to pay $50 billion for expropriating the assets of Yukos, once Russia biggest oil producer run by Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Russia is seeking Pugachyov arrest for embezzlement and misappropriation of assets, charges he denies. When asked about the Pugachyov claim, Putin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said he had no comment but said that official investigations were ongoing. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.