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

housing categories: But condos are expected to continue driving price growth this year, with detached houses anticipated to lag again, according to The Toronto Star. For sale signs at a home in East York, Toronto. That means homes that sold for 787,195 on average in 2018, would increase to 820,000 across all housing categories. Rene Johnston / Toronto Star Although we won't experience record levels, we do expect to see a better year in 2019 for sales and selling prices, said TREB president Garry Bhaura in a news release issued prior to the publication of the board's 2019 market outlook report on Wednesday.TREB joined the growing chorus in the housing industry calling for the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions OSFI to reconsider the mortgage stress test it introduced last year. In a speech in Toronto on Tuesday OSFI assistant superintendent Carolyn Rogers acknowledged that housing affordability is a problem. The test, which is designed to protect consumers from drowning if their housing or other costs increase, means home buyers have to qualify for mortgages 2 per cent higher than they negotiate with their banks or the Bank of Canada's five-year benchmark rate. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

york city: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a political newcomer, elected to the US House of Representatives in the 2018 midterms, according to MSNBC. Serving the southern area of the Bronx and Queens in New York City, at age 29 Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. Phoebe 7, 20194 02pm Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez described the State of the Union as unsettling and refused to get up during a standing Donald Trump's young Democratic rival has called his State of the Union address unsettling refusing to apologise for defiantly remaining seated during a standing ovation. She sits on the far left of politics, describing herself as a democratic socialist, and is often criticised for being teenage in her views, claims she fights back against ferociously. Female leaders dressed en masse in white to honour the female suffragette movement, which led to the 19th amendment and women winning the right to vote. She has become well known for engaging with other politicians and celebrities who name her on Twitter. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

mckinsey: Olivia White is a partner at McKinsey & Company, according to CNN. They are co-authors of Digital identification A key to inclusive growth. James Manyika is chairman of the McKinsey Global Institute. The opinions expressed in this commentary are their own. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

services sort: The Ford government has yet to confirm plans for a health-care super agency' but the NDP has released numerous leaked documents from the government, including draft legislation that would enable the creation of such an agency, according to The Toronto Star. DREAMSTIME Everybody is thinking about the restructuring while the actual provision of services sort of gets ignored, charged Katherine Fierlbeck, a political science professor at Dalhousie University, recounting Nova Scotia's experience. Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Alberta have undertaken similar reforms and found them to be more difficult, disruptive and distracting than anticipated, they caution. Nine regional health authorities were merged into the Nova Scotia Health Authority in 2015 with the aim of saving money and creating efficiencies. Article Continued Below There is this idea that money will be saved, but there is no evidence that happened in Nova Scotia. But Fierlbeck argues there is no evidence to show that either goal was attained. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

toronto police: In one, police say a 17-year-old schoolgirl was taken to a series of GTA motels by a man with a gun and forced to sell her body to strangers, according to The Toronto Star. Ads for female escorts on the classifieds site Leo List. Toronto police have charged eight GTA residents with dozens of charges in four separate cases this year involving the website Leo List. So far this year, Toronto police have charged eight GTA residents in four separate cases of alleged human trafficking, each involving sex ads on the site. Steve Russell / Toronto Star The latest bust was announced last week, after police say a man physically assaulted a 28-year-old woman several times, including one attack that left her with broken ribs. Sex workers say internet advertising helps them vet their clients and stay off the streets. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

alphabet investors: Scoff if you will, but in China, a swine means luck, good fortune, wealth prosperity, etc, according to Market Watch. So, by the end of the year, we should all be saying things like Some pig!' and. And this year will be a great year to make money and invest, says thechinesezodiac.org. That'll do Pig. Year OfThe Pig Babe TheMovie The Sheep Pig Dick King Smith Mum's Movie Club Mums Movie Club February 5, 2019 In the more immediate future, we may have some unhappy Alphabet investors after some spend-y earnings, but futures look ready to shake it off as the Nasdaq aims to exit from the bear market's clutches That is quite the beat at least on the EPS figure from Google. That'll do. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

business elite: The setting of the interview was unusual for the FT. The salmon pink daily is more widely known for its profiles of the buffed and manicured business elite, lounging in grand villas, chalets and penthouse pads, preferably in Davos or Cannes, according to The Independent. But Steve eating cherry pie in a washed-out T-shirt had certainly earned his column inches 30 years earlier, together with another Steve and an electronics industry worker called Ronald, the Hickory Pit's favourite tech geek created what would later become the world's largest publicly traded company. As Richard walked into a vinyl-clad diner called The Hickory Pit, Steve sat bearded and burly hunched over some sort of hand-held device, engrossed in a game of Tetris. ISOCountry Groups euro at be cy ee fi fr de gr ie it lv lt lu mc mt nl pt sk si sm es va uk gb us us variants 1 33.4, 2 33.3, 3 33.3 Join Independent Minds For exclusive articles, events and an advertising-free read for just 5.99 6.99 9.99 a month Start your free trial Get the best of The Independent With an Independent Minds subscription for just 5.99 6.99 9.99 a month Start your free trial Get the best of The Independent Without the ads for just 5.99 6.99 9.99 a month Start your free trial His unremarkable appearance and the profoundly mundane setting of his encounter with the FT, convey a banality neatly reflected in the origins of the very firm he was instrumental in founding An experimental three-man band the original start-up, if you will that took a crazy punt on a simple motherboard and now has more cash than the vast majority of countries. It wormed its way on to the tech scene with a creation named the Apple I, a computer designed and built by Tetris-loving Wozniak, and sold for the ominous sum of 666.66 or about 2,900 in today's inflation-adjusted money. Growing the Apple Apple was founded on 1 April 1976 by the late Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne in Cupertino. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

chinese companies: In a year marked by elevated volatility in U.S. equity markets, NYSE issuers raised 30 billion dollars in proceeds from 73 IPOs, statistics showed, according to Global Times China. A total of 25 international IPOs were executed during the year, raising 10 billion dollars in proceeds, including Tencent Music Entertainment Group from China, Pag Seguro Digital Ltd. from Brazil, and Hudson Ltd. and Farfetch Ltd. from Britain. The wholly-owned subsidiary of Intercontinental Exchange finished 2018 with 125 billion U.S. dollars in proceeds raised from 356 transactions. A total of 18 Chinese companies raised more than 4 billion dollars in proceeds last year, the exchange said in its response to Xinhua's inquiry. Alex Ibrahim, head of international capital markets at NYSE, told Xinhua that it was a huge highlight to have companies like Tencent Music Entertainment listing on the exchange and raising over 1 billion dollars. The companies are from a variety of industries, including education, hospitality, technology, and automotive. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

nasa: The development marks the first time in eight years that China and the US have achieved such cooperation in aerospace, science and technology, according to Global Times China. Nevertheless, the NASA statement also stressed that NASA's cooperation with China is transparent, reciprocal and mutually beneficial, has been approved by US administration and Congress and is in accordance with the relevant regulations. A few weeks ago, US space agency NASA said in a statement that it is collaborating with the China National Space Administration for a lunar mission, and it is expected to image the landing site of Chang'e-4, using its lunar orbiter on January 31. It can be seen that political factors in the US have had a lot of impact on this cooperation. Yet, in reality, such areas of cooperation are few and far between. As quite a few US and Chinese science fiction films have shown in recent years, it is widely hoped that the US and China can work together in many high-tech fields, including aerospace, contributing to the peace and development of all human beings. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

company: Alphabet's diluted earnings would have been approximately 10.91 a share, just above the Fact Set consensus estimate of 10.86 a share, without that gain, according to Market Watch. Alphabet's investment prowess has been a boon for the company since it began counting increases in its investments as profit last year due to an accounting change. Google's parent company was partly boosted by a mysterious investment gain of 1.3 billion, that it only described as an unrealized gain recognized in OI&E other income and expenses related to a non-marketable debt security. For the full year 2018, Alphabet said it had a 5.5 billion gain on equity securities, including 4 billion of net unrealized gains on equity investments. Wall Street seemed concerned about the company's hefty spending on research and development and on capital expenditures, which Colin Sebastian, a Robert W. Baird analyst, said overshadowed a solid revenue beat. For more Google is a great investor and it's showing in the results Despite the inflated earnings beat, Alphabet shares GOOGL, -2.52%GOOG, -2.68% declined in after-hours trading, ending the extended session down about 3%. The stock was down 2.4% in premarket trade Tuesday. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

gr ie: This represented a growth in revenue of more than 21 per cent from the 32.3bn it reported last year, according to The Independent. ISOCountry Groups euro at be cy ee fi fr de gr ie it lv lt lu mc mt nl pt sk si sm es va uk gb us us variants 1 33.4, 2 33.3, 3 33.3 Join Independent Minds For exclusive articles, events and an advertising-free read for just 5.99 6.99 9.99 a month Start your free trial Get the best of The Independent With an Independent Minds subscription for just 5.99 6.99 9.99 a month Start your free trial Get the best of The Independent Without the ads for just 5.99 6.99 9.99 a month Start your free trial The Associated Press said analysts polled by Fact Set, were expecting earnings per share of 10.86, or a profit of 7.6bn, on revenue of 38.9bn. In results that were described by one financial newspaper as showing sustained revenue growth Alphabet reported a profit of 8.9bn on revenue of 39.3bn. It said Alphabet's advertising commissions, or the money it pays other companies to direct people to its search, grew to 7.4bn from 6.5bn a year ago. Google staff stage walkout over handling of sexual misconduct Show all 15 Created with Sketch. Created with Sketch. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

kxl pipeline: However it's no closer to being built than when President Donald Trump tried to jump-start it with a presidential memo signed in front of a crush of cameras on his fourth day in office, according to The Japan Times. If the KXL pipeline was up and running, our Gulf Coast refiners would have all the Canadian heavy they need, Stephen Brown, a refining industry lobbyist, said by email. But there's not enough space on pipelines and trains to get it across the border. ; Trans Canada Corp.'s proposed Keystone XL pipeline could have been the answer. It's a totally avoidable situation. One of the most controversial energy infrastructure projects is Keystone XL, which Trans Canada has been pitching since 2008 as a way to transport as much as 800,000 barrels a day to Gulf Coast refineries designed to process the heavy grade. Trump is expected to highlight energy infrastructure in his State of the Union address, stressing the need for more pipelines and export terminals to harness the full potential of soaring American oil and gas production. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

malfunctioning shredder: Read more Banksy video says 'Balloon Girl' shredding went wrong A malfunctioning shredder located inside the frame of the artwork preserved the actual image, and also allowed the anonymous buyer to continue with the purchase of what was essentially a new work created live during the auction, according to Deutsche Welle. Banksy didn't destroy an artwork in the auction, he created one, said Sotheby's in a statement. But when the street artist recently attempted to shred his work after it was sold for auction at Sotheby's hence renamed Love is in the Bin in order to draw attention to the folly of the big money global art world, he ironically only added to its renown, and no doubt its value. Indeed, the rechristened Love is in the Bin will be exhibited from February 5 in Germany, on a four-week guest stint at the Museum Frieder Burda in Baden-Baden before the new owner hands it over to the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart on permanent loan. Meanwhile, DW spoke with Ulrich Blanch an expert in British postwar art at the European Institute for Art History in Heidelberg, about the importance of the work. The object will be the subject of lectures and a podium discussion in Baden-Baden until the exhibition ends on March 3. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

miller: Stephanie Ruhle is joined by NBC News Investigations Reporter Tom Winter, MSNBC Legal Analyst Matthew Miller, and University of Alabama Law professor Joyce Vance to discuss how much of a risk this investigation is to the House Intelligence Committee to investigate Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the Intelligence Committee, said in December that his committee will examine possible illegal foreign funding in President Donald Trump's , according to MSNBC. The U.S. attorney's office in New York is investigating allegations that the committee misspent some of the millions it raised in prosecutors subpoena Trump inaugural United States Attorney's office for New York's Southern District issued a subpoena for documents relating to President Trump's 2017 inauguration as a part of a criminal investigation they opened last year. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

pain: And the pain she and her two young children have endured is heartbreaking, according to Nine News Australia. My kids are asking questions about their Dad because they've never met their dad. To improve your experience update it here News World Man accused of murdering US businessman extradited from Australia to the USBy Alexis Daish US Correspondent12 09pm Feb 5, Tolstykh has waited almost a decade to see her husband's accused killer in handcuffs. And the only thing they have is pictures of him, she tells Nine News from the garage where her husband was murdered. And she praises and thanks Australian police for getting the job done. Gadiyev is accused of being one of two masked men who robbed and beat Mr Tolstykh to death in an underground carpark on March 14, 2009. 9News Today, in a courtroom in Brooklyn New York, she saw Abakar Gadiyev for the first time in prison greens and charged with Vlad Tolstykh's murder and robbery. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

distortion: If single, you see someone as you would like, not as he or she is, according to The Toronto Star. This distortion could cause disappointment should this person fall off his or her pedestal. You could become involved in money schemes that are too good to be true, so be careful. If attached, you could be subject to the same distortion, though you have more experience with it. PISCES impacts you often with sob stories.ARIES March 21-April 19 Meetings and discussions could produce enthusiasm and results. Work on being realistic about your sweetie. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

job losses: Under the deal, 100 HMV shops will remain open, protecting the jobs of nearly 1,500 workers across the stores and head office, according to The Guardian. However, the immediate closure of 27 stores will lead to 455 job losses. Doug Putman, who runs the Canadian retailer Sunrise Records, has bought the UK music and film chain after emerging as the leading contender over the weekend, heading off competition from Mike Ashley's Sports Direct. A further 122 warehouse jobs will go in the coming weeks. Closure of the flagship store on Oxford Street signals the end of HMV's presence on London's most famous shopping street after nearly a century. Q&A Which HMV stores are closing Show Hide Ayr Bath Bluewater Bristol Cribbs Chichester Exeter Princesshay Fopp Bristol Fopp Glasgow Byres Fopp Manchester Fopp Oxford Glasgow Trafford Merry Hill Oxford Street Peterborough Queensgate Plymouth Drake Circus Reading Sheffield London Wimbledon Was this helpful Thank you for your feedback. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

sectors industries: In his inauguration speech, Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi said the new government is committed to leading the country to transition into a knowledge-based economy, according to Global Times China. On the basis of the country's National Vision 2036, the Botswanan government confirmed that information and communication technology would be the key element in boosting development in other sectors and industries. In recent years, the country has been attempting to make an economic transition. Many Botswanans who attended the Global Expo Botswana 2018 told the Global Times that China is playing an important role to help the country achieve the goal of economic transition. This session held from October 30 to November 2 in Gaborone, Botswana, saw the participation of 291 companies from countries including China, South Korea, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The Global Expo is the country's most important business-to-business exhibition, and has been successfully held 13 times. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

politically-motivated vandals: The sculpture will be sited on a green in the middle of Grantham after an application was approved on Tuesday by councillors despite warnings from police that it could be a target for politically-motivated vandals . A statue of Thatcher No plinth will be too high for the vandals Dawn Foster Read more The former Conservative prime minister will stand on a green midway between two existing statues, one of the 19th-century MP Frederick James Tollemache and another of Sir Isaac Newton, who went to school in town, according to The Independent. In the face of recommendations by police that it be placed on a sufficiently high platform to make it difficult to damage the statue, the 10.5ft statue will stand on a plinth of the same height again. Nearly 30 years since her departure from Downing Street, the Lincolnshire town of her birth agreed to honour its most famous daughter with the bronze sculpture, which was originally meant to stand in London's Parliament Square. Proposals to erect the 300,000 bronze sculpture which was offered to Grantham last year after original plans for it to be erected in London were rejected were approved by local councillors meeting a stone's throw away from its planned location at a green on St Peter's Hill. Even here, however, Britain's first female prime minister continued to polarise opinion during a sometimes stormy meeting of South Kesteven district council's planning committee. One hope of those behind the plans to bring the Iron Lady or at least the bronze one to Grantham is that cash tills will rattle to the tune of money spent by visitors ranging from tourists to Thatcherite pilgrims who have long trickled into the market town where she grew up as daughter of a local grocer and mayor. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

role taxes: We know the important role taxes play in society and we pay our taxes in all the countries where we operate, in complete conformity with laws and practices in force at the local level, the company said, according to The Japan Times. French authorities declined to comment further, citing the confidentiality of tax matters. Apple paid nearly 500 million 570 million to resolve the case in a confidential settlement reached in December, a source familiar with the case said, confirming a report in French news weekly L'Express. ; The French tax administration recently concluded a multiyear audit on the company's French accounts and an adjustment will be published in our public accounts, Apple said in a statement. Apple is one of several American technology giants in the line of fire in Europe over their tax strategies, which see them route their income through low-tax nations such as Ireland or Luxembourg. The European Commission said Apple paid an effective corporate tax rate of just 0.005 percent on its European profits in 2014 equivalent to just 50 for every million. In 2016, it was ordered by the European Commission to pay 13 billion in back taxes to Ireland. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

time tuesday: The Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, -0.36% gained 54.55 points, or 0.7%, to 7,402.08, inching toward 7,431.50, which would officially mark its exit from a bear market, according to Market Watch. What drove the market The market's mood remained buoyant, with investors tying strength to earnings that were perceived as upbeat. How did major benchmarks fare The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.08% rose 172.15 points, or 0.7%, to 25,411.52, while the S&P 500 SPX, -0.22% climbed 12.83 points, or 0.5%, to 2,737.70. Tech shares were instrumental in paving the way higher, although Google parent Alphabet Inc. came under temporary selling pressure after its quarterly results showed costs rising faster than expected. Eastern time Tuesday. Trump is set to deliver his State of the Union address at 9 p.m. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

wall street: It climbed 16.70 points Monday, according to The Japan Times. Although stocks surged after the opening bell in the wake of Wall Street's continued advance, the market's topside soon grew heavy due to a dearth of strong buying incentives, brokers said. The key index lost 39.32 points, or 0.19 percent, to end at 20,844.45 after rising 95.38 points Monday. ; Meanwhile, the Topix, which covers all first-section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, rose 1.55 points, or 0.10 percent, to close at 1,582.88. The Topix remained on the sunny side almost throughout the day. The key price gauge was forced to snap its three-day winning streak by falls in major issues, particularly Fast Retailing, its heavily weighted component issue, brokers said. But the Nikkei sank into negative territory after fluctuating around the previous day's closing level until midafternoon. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

risk: The tightening of lending standards during the year-long inquiry and on the back of regulator measures is not expected to accelerate due to the final report, reducing the risk of a credit squeeze, according to Nine News Australia. Commissioner Kenneth Hayne QC has previously made it clear he expected banks to do more to verify customers' income and their actual living expenses in assessing loans amid an over-reliance on using a household expenditure measure benchmark. To improve your experience update it here News National Hard to get a loan but it won't get harder By AAP4 46pm Feb 5, scrutiny of home buyers' expenses and income is set to stay, but at least the banking royal commission's final report will not make getting a mortgage even harder. But he decided not to tighten lending laws or impose a cap or ban on the use of the benchmark, pointing to the steps banks have taken to strengthen their home lending practices and reduce their reliance on the HEM. Core Logic head of research Tim Lawless and research analyst Cameron Kusher said the final report was nowhere near as severe as expected. The tight credit environment, which has been the primary driver of less housing market activity and weakening home values, looks set to stay but not worsen. There were no additional recommendations that borrower credit assessment should be tightened further, and perhaps surprisingly, the HEM hasn't been ruled out as a valid benchmark for assessing borrower expenses, implying credit availability is not likely to worsen any further, they said. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

job: Some of my friends are engaged or married, on tighter budgets, according to The Toronto Star. But it's my closest married friend with a couple of young kids, who's upset me recently. I have a great job and good income, having pretty much followed a direct path towards it. Talk out what happened in Vegas. Richard Lautens / Toronto Star A group of us were invited to celebrate one friend's 30th birthday, during a Las Vegas weekend. Don't let it stay there, Ellie Tesher advises. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

officials screen: Border Security Minister Bill Blair says officials screen all asylum-seekers at the border and that there is no security problem, according to The Toronto Star. Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS file photo All those in the queue had already been screened once at the border to see whether they posed clear security threats. Internal government documents obtained by lawyer Richard Kurland under the federal access-to-information law show that as of Feb. 28, 2018, there were 11,745 asylum-seekers waiting for second security screenings, up from 1,683 just two years earlier an increase of about 700 per cent. Overall, 41 per cent of the backlog cases were refugee claimants who are already in Canada but who have not been security screened, Canada Border Services Agency officials wrote in a presentation outlining why things were so backed up, and who was stuck in it. Article Continued Below Border Security Minister Bill Blair said officials check all asylum-seekers at the border and stressed there is no security threat to Canadians. The Toronto Star first reported the details, which lit a political fire in the House of Commons' daily question period. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

outstripped energy: It outstripped energy for the first time in 2016, with annual emissions of about 125m tonnes of CO2, according to The Guardian. This figure has barely changed since 1990. Official data released on Tuesday is expected to confirm transport as the most polluting sector, largely driven by cars. Friends of the Earth said there needed to be a radical reimagining of transport to bring about a 20% reduction in car journeys, even with a faster switch to electric cars, to meet climate change targets. Mike Childs, the head of research at Friends of the Earth, said the outlay was a fraction of road spending. The group said free bus travel, costing 3bn a year, would also help address public health concerns around air quality and obesity. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.