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

defense diplomacy: The fourth round of the two-plus-two talks is expected to see the ministers explore specific areas of cooperation in defense and diplomacy as Japan and Britain both close U.S. allies view themselves as global strategic partners, according to The Japan Times. The ministers will likely confirm their cooperation on a global scale in a post-meeting joint statement and commit to promoting basic values such as democracy and the rule of law for the prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region, according to the sources. Japan hopes to leverage closer ties with Britain, which is set to leave the European Union in late March, in advancing Tokyo's broader initiative to create a free and open Indo-Pacific region in the face of growing maritime assertiveness by China. ; Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya will sit down with British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson. In the document, Japan and Britain are considering including the enhancement of joint exercises between the Self-Defense Forces and the British military and deepening cooperation in defense equipment technology, the sources said. The meeting will come at a time when both nations apparently see the need for increasing economic ties as uncertainty continues over the process of Britain's planned departure from the EU bloc on March 29. The ministers may also take up issues related to North Korea and coordinate efforts to ensure Pyongyang gives up its nuclear weapons and missiles and stops ship-to-ship transfers of goods in violation of U.N. sanctions. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

deficit cavuto: Here's an exchange between Cavuto and Stockman during the nearly 8-minute segment, in which the businessman cautioned that the end of easy-money policies by the Federal Reserve would ultimately augur ill for a country hopped up on debt and boasting a growing trillion-dollar deficit Cavuto When is that day of reckoning I'd like to know Stockman I think we're here, according to Market Watch. I think we're here because the Fed stopped buying bonds two years ago. The 72-year-old politician and businessman, who was the director of Office of Management and Budget under President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, told Fox Business's Neil Cavuto on Thursday that investors ought to get out of the market and retreat to the presumed safety of Treasury bills and cold, hard cash. Cavuto What would you invest in Stockman I think you get out of the market. However, his White House and fiscal policy pedigree have made him a hard-to-ignore voice on the outlook for the market and the economy. The bond market, the stock market, put your money in cash, put your money in Treasury bills, wait for the collapse to come because it's going to happen Stockman has been a persistent doomsayer whose forecasts have yet to materialize. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

eu governments: As the sword of Damocles hangs over the European automotive industry, the trade ministers discussed the bloc's trading relationship with Washington, according to Global Times China. European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom has called on EU governments to decide soon to start negotiations with the United States. A report from the U.S. Department of Commerce on the national security risks of auto imports, without its details disclosed, was recently submitted to U.S. President Donald Trump who has 90 days to decide whether to impose special tariffs on imported cars and car parts, including those from Europe. She also warned there is full support from member states to hit back if the United States were to levy the tariffs, escalating the transatlantic tension. For the EU, it is not new that the United States uses so-called national security as an excuse to raise trade barriers. LINGERING TARIFFS THREAT The report laid on Trump's table re-triggered trade disputes over cars and car parts imported by the United States from the EU. It stems from the Section 232 investigation launched by the U.S. Department of Commerce in May at Trump's request to evaluate the effects of imports on national security. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

music: She knew from experience that more experimental artists like herself had always relied on smaller networks for support, according to The Independent. I wanted to join something that recognised the strength of collaborative ideas and action, she says, because these things provide a better experience for listeners and musicians and foster a sense of community. She had listed her music on Spotify, which last year opened to independent artists, but Fidora had begun to question whether big streaming services like You Tube and Spotify were truly democratic. Read more Amazon plans game streaming service' to take on consolesITV to launch streaming service to rival Netflix Google goes toe-to-toe with Spotify and Apple Music with You Tube Music 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 We'll tell you what's true. From 15p 0.18 0.18 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras. You can form your own view. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

nicht gut: Growth stagnated in the fourth quarter after a contraction in the third, prompting the government in mid-January to slash its expansion forecast for 2019 dramatically, to a paltry 1 per cent from 1.8 per cent, according to The Independent. Last week adding insult to injury figures showed that confidence in the German economy had fallen to its lowest level in four years. The economy grew by just 1.5 per cent last year, representing its weakest rate of expansion in half a decade, largely due to some of its biggest exporters car companies, manufacturers and industrial conglomerates being battered by trade wars. Nicht gut. Germany is the UK's most important trading partner within the EU and, crucially, it's a bellwether for the health of the world economy. We should care. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

islamic extremists: The vote, widely seen as too close to call, also was marred by hours-long delays at polling stations across the vast West African country, according to Nine News Australia. Police said they triggered the blasts in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, shortly before polls opened in a show of force to deter the Islamic extremists that plague the northeast. To improve your experience update it hereOSCARS LIVEAll the winners here News World Explosions and delays as Nigeria's presidential election finally get underway By Associated Press1 31am Feb 24, 2019Nigeria's presidential elections get underway on Saturday Facebook Tweet Mail Gunfire and explosions opened Nigeria's delayed election on Saturday as President Muhammadu Buhari seeks a second term in Africa's most populous nation. Some voters in Nigeria have been made to wait for hours due to numerous delays AP/AAP But security sources said a rocket hit a displaced persons' camp, while a blast at an army garrison killed one solider and injured four others. Voting turnout appeared to be light as authorities tried to calm panicked, skeptical residents. The army also confirmed a futile attack on a security outpost in Geidam in Yobe state. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

neil: And we've had enough, chief executive Neil Bruce said Friday after slashing the company's dividend and reporting its biggest quarterly losses in at least two decades.SNC-Lavalin president and CEO Neil Bruce said he's tired of seeing his employees used as a puck in a political hockey game.' Paul Chiasson / THE CANADIAN PRESS The beleaguered engineering and construction giant has been in the eye of a firestorm that erupted earlier this month when The Globe and Mail reported the Prime Minister's Office pressured former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to steer prosecutors toward negotiations with the company, according to The Toronto Star. The company was looking to negotiate a deferred prosecution agreement in connection with fraud and bribery charges linked to business dealings with Moammar Gadhafi's now-toppled regime in Libya. Frankly, they don't deserve it. Bruce said he wasn't holding out much hope for a remediation agreement, which would allow SNC-Lavalin to avoid a criminal trial in exchange for fines and other penalties. But frankly, it doesn't look like that today. Article Continued Below That's certainly at their discretion, he said. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

official advice: They are likely to be issued by an insurance company for free, but the industry is warning it could take up to a month to obtain one, so if no deal happens and you're booked to go away with the car this Easter, you will need to act fast, according to The Guardian. UK retirees in EU will lose free healthcare under no-deal Brexit Read more The official advice from the UK government is From 29 March 2019, in the event that there is no EU exit deal drivers of UK-registered vehicles will need to carry a motor insurance green card when driving in the EU and EEA. Note that a green card and they do have to be on green paper typically lasts only 90 days, and if your insurance renewal comes up while you're abroad, you will need one for each cover period. But if the UK leaves without a deal, all changes and drivers will be expected to carry a green card when in mainland Europe and Ireland. The card applies to the vehicle, not the driver. Customers will need to contact us at least two weeks in advance of when they are due to travel. Direct Line insurance says In the event of a no-deal Brexit, we have plans to ensure customers are provided with a green card if they drive in Europe on or after 29 March. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

trading session: Congress Asset Management Company who had been investing in Facebook Inc for a number of months, seems to be less bullish one the 462.03B market cap company, according to MSNBC. The stock increased 1.16% or 1.85 during the last trading session, reaching 161.89. The institutional investor held 33,787 shares of the technology company at the end of 2018Q3, valued at 5.56 million, down from 341,047 at the end of the previous reported quarter. About 15.86 million shares traded. FB has declined 21.26% since February 23, 2018 and is downtrending. Facebook, Inc. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

trump: The Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Krugman has predicted that there will be a recession in America by the time Donald Trump comes up for re-election at the end of next year, according to The Guardian. The darkening outlook for global growth is putting pressure on the US president to resolve his trade dispute with China. On average, recessions have come along once a decade since the mid-1970s and the nadir of the last downturn occurred almost a decade ago. When the White House announced its first tranche of protectionist measures almost a year ago, hopes were high that the world economy had at last shrugged off the long hangover from the financial crisis and deep slump of 2008-09. A year later and with the 1 March deadline for a fresh round of US tariffs fast approaching the mood has changed. In the months before Trump went toe-to-toe with China's president, Xi Jinping, it was expanding strongly and the International Monetary Fund was talking about a synchronised upturn. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

applicants cybg: The others will take home 100m and 60m, respectively, according to The Guardian. The other applicants CYBG, TSB and Co-operative Bank failed to win any of the three grants. The independent Banking Competition Remedies body awarded the first tranche of cash to Metro Bank, Starling Bank and Clear Bank with Metro securing the largest pot of 120m. However, they will have a chance to apply for second, but smaller, pool of funds, the largest of which is worth 50m. Metro Bank's chief executive, Craig Donaldson faced criticism after not initially admitting that the error was found by the Bank of England. The top award to Metro Bank comes despite it suffering a share price fall of almost 40% in a single day last month after it revealed problems with how they classified loans. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

basket directive: By contrast, financial literacy is extremely low, and many people lack a basic understanding of financial management, according to Market Watch. A record number of people have accumulated a record level of debt. Everybody knows what to do should they catch on fire. What are some simple rules of financial management we should follow Financial analysts claim it's not so simple. However, some help can come from the unexpected realm of cryptocurrency trading. Financial investments are inherently complex, and simple rules beyond don't put all your eggs in the same basket directive are hard to come by. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

british english: For younger readers, this is a piece of paper used make a payment from a bank account before plastic cards and smartphones came along, according to The Independent. Apparently they still use them in the US, where they spell it check. Our style is British English, which is cheque. The etymology is rather wonderful. A check was originally a counterfoil, a way of keeping track of, or checking, amounts of money paid, but came to refer to the main part of the form that you tear off. It comes from the verb check, meaning to examine something to determine its quality or accuracy. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

capita income: Their best guess is that North Korea's gross domestic product contracted 3.5 percent in 2017 to about 32.3 billion 40 times smaller than the South's GDP. Annual per capita income in North Korea is about 1,300, according to the BOK, less than a twentieth that of the South and about half the level of Vietnam, where Kim will travel later this month for a summit with Donald Trump, according to The Japan Times. Figures for 2018 won't be available until midyear but the outlook isn't encouraging, according to Cho, who spoke in an interview on Feb. 13. That is the message from Cho Tae-hyoung, the chief of the North Korea research team at South Korea's central bank in Seoul, which is considered the most authoritative source for estimates on Kim Jong Un's economy. ; Cho and his colleagues at the Bank of Korea draw on a grab-bag of hard data, suppositions and guesswork that would bring despair to economists studying most countries. He cited the impact of sanctions that cut exports to China by about 90 percent in 2018. Satellite images indicate that more markets are popping up around the country every year, and that they are getting bigger. With official statistics from North Korea both scant and suspect, the BOK combs through figures compiled by South Korean government departments and its spy agency, analysis of satellite images, debriefings from defectors, reports from think tanks, Chinese trade data, and with great caution speeches by Kim and state media out of Pyongyang. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

chines tariffs: Check out What a U.S. demand for China to stabilize its currency really means Trump and Chinese President Xi are discussing a meeting in late March to complete a deal, according to Market Watch. A March 1 deadline for fresh Chines tariffs to be raised to 25% from 10% looms, with President Donald Trump indicating that he may be flexible on hiking duties, as discussions remain hung up on a number of issues, including Beijing's handling of American intellectual property, according to reports. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that the U.S. and China had come to a strong agreement on currency, according to reports, after the U.S. demanded China to stabilize the yuan USDCNY, -0.1205%USDCNH, -0.3152% as part of a deal. Trump met Chinese Vice Premier Liu He Friday afternoon. Vice Chairman Richard Clarida spoke to central bank's current strategy review, and said the inflation and communications strategy could change in the future. No major U.S. economic releases are scheduled for Friday, but a parade of Federal Reserve officials are scheduled to speak at a monetary-policy forum throughout the day. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

banking: Victims of the big banks could also potentially claw back greater compensation payments than the coalition's proposed scheme, if Labor wins, according to Nine News Australia. Commissions can stay, but they will be flat and they'll be consistent across the board, shadow treasurer Chris Bowen said on Friday when announcing Labor's response to the banking royal commission. To improve your experience update it here News National Mortgage broker fees should be flat Labor By AAP2 58pm Feb 22, brokers will get to keep their fees but they will be capped at 1.1 per cent of the property loan, if Labor wins the next federal election. Commissioner Kenneth Hayne recommended banning trailing commissions for mortgage brokers, and replacing them with user-pays upfront fees. Labor is proposing a flat commission rate of 1.1 per cent of the loan - but it would only apply to the amount that was actually drawn down. The coalition will ban trailing commissions and review the upfront fee proposal, after concerns the royal commission's plans would destroy thousands of small businesses. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

canadian press: An aerial view of the Westridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby, B.C. The terminal is expected to see a seven-fold increase in tanker traffic if the Trans Mountain pipeline project is approved, according to The Toronto Star. Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press The project, which Ottawa purchased last year for 4.5 billion, has been a major source of division in Western Canada. The forthcoming report follows a court-ordered reconsideration process that saw the NEB review the environmental risks of increased marine shipping related to the pipeline expansion. Whatever the board decides, huge swaths of the country will be disappointed. The expansion would triple the Trans Mountain pipelines' capacity from 300,000 to 890,000 barrels a day of diluted bitumen and other petroleum products. Here's what you need to know to ahead of Friday's announcement The project Article Continued Below The Trans Mountain expansion project would involve building a second 1,100-km pipeline from Edmonton to the Westridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby, B.C. The new pipeline would follow a similar route to the existing pipeline, which was built in 1953. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

companies account: However, major coal producers including BHP and Anglo American are included because they are listed as general mining firms rather than coal companies, according to The Guardian. FTSE Russell refused to provide the Guardian with a full list of index constituents but publicly available factsheets indicate that 34 oil and gas related companies account for 3.4% of the FTSE4Good developed index by market capitalisation. Index providers including FTSE Russell, MSCI, S&P Dow Jones Indices and Stoxx all run indices that take into account environmental, social and corporate governance concerns known as ESG. FTSE Russell, owned by the London Stock Exchange, says it has a hard exclusion for coal companies from its FTSE4Good ethical indices, after it was decided that the most-polluting major fossil fuel did not fit its criteria for a sustainable future. The inclusion of major oil and coal companies on indices is likely to prompt concerns about the term ESG being used to greenwash the reputations of major polluters. ethical investment indices The New York-headquartered MSCI claims that investors worldwide have used its ESG indices to direct well over 200bn in investments since 2014. Savers whose money is invested using these indices may be unaware that they are funding fossil fuel extraction, said Charlie Kronick, a senior climate campaigner at Greenpeace UK. In today's world, many people buying products labelled 4 Good' may expect that a fund created to take into account environmental impact would not include oil or other fossil fuel companies, he said. Fund managers such as Blackrock and Vanguard sell investors products such as exchange-traded funds, which track the performance of ESG indices. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

computer activity: This breakout time encompasses the entire process of gaining access to a single computer before moving laterally through the entire network of an organisation, according to Nine News Australia. Once hackers have access to the network they can steal, encrypt or delete sensitive data, hijack core computing functions or monitor computer activity without knowledge. To improve your experience update it here News World Russian hackers can breach an entire computer network in 18 minutes By Matt Dunn Senior Producer12 20pm Feb 22, 2019Facebook Tweet Mail You have just 18 minutes to react if Russian state-sponsored hackers breach your computer network. Russian state-sponsored hackers take an average of just 18 minutes and 49 seconds to move laterally through a computer network Nine/Supplied Data comes from cyber security company Crowd Strike's 2019 Global Threat Report, which explored the speed of attacks from major state-sponsored hacking groups and criminal actors based on data from 30,000 intrusion attempts. However, he refused to point the blame a particular country for the cyber-attack. The report is timely given Prime Minister Scott Morrison revealed earlier this week that a sophisticated state actor was responsible for an attempted hack on Australia's parliament and political parties just months from the election. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

environmentalists pejoratively: We always knew climate was a stalking horse for socialism, communism, totalitarianism, whatever you want to call it, said Steve Milloy of Junk Science, according to MSNBC. Milloy is what many climate scientists and environmentalists pejoratively refer to as a denier. All market data delayed 20 New Deal Published 1 day ago Green New Deal rollout rattles both sides of climate change debate By Doug McKelway Fox New Deal rollout shakes up Washington's climate change debateWASHINGTON -- Die-hard skeptics of climate change believe the rollout of the Green New Deal, with its plans for wealth redistribution, high taxes, and a massive transition to a carbon neutral economy, was a tipoff to a hidden agenda. But even many Democrats who support a climate change agenda saw the rollout as overreach. Ed Markey, What in the heck is this ' said Senator Dick Durbin D-Ill on MSNBC's Morning Joe. I have read it and I have re-read it and I asked co-sponsor Sen. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

negotiator friday: To be sure, there's plenty standing in the way of an amazing deal, according to Market Watch. Global equities are moving on hopes surrounding Friday's meeting between POTUS and China's top negotiator Vice Premier Lieu and moving parts of a deal trickle out . see Buzz . There's lots of room underneath us if that meeting disappoints, says Cracked Market's Jani Ziedins, who also notes plenty of desperate buyers and reluctant sellers helping to put a floor under this market right now. It could be the mere idea of a planned get together between POTUS and China's top negotiator Friday that's driving global equities higher, while talk about details of such a deal trickle out. There is profit potential for the most nimble traders to squeeze the last few nickels and dimes out of this rally, but anyone buying for the long-term shouldn't feel pressured to chase because there is nothing special about these prices, says Ziedins. Haefele is not so sure a trade deal is going to bring stocks back to the highs seen before the December crash. Buying the December dip https //t.co/aEqAupog Hx Scheplick scheplick February 21, 2019 That brings us to our call of the day from UBS's global chief investment officer, Mark Haefele, who says while he remains fans of U.S. equities, he is also taking out some insurance against downward moves via S&P 500 puts, an option that gives owners the right to sell at an agreed price on or before a particular date. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

condominium board: The email said that, after a vote of the building's condo owners, the tally was about 55 per cent in favour of removing the large sign over their front door, according to The Independent. Accordingly, arrangements are being made to have the 'Trump Place' signage removed from the building fa ade, the email said. The building's condominium board announced the decision on Thursday, according to an email to building owners obtained by The Washington Post. It was not clear when the sign would actually come down. You can form your own view. 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 We'll tell you what's true. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

test: Key key; this, according to The Independent. Value value; // check darwin test local storage exist function get Darwin State const darwin Tests if darwin Tests ! null return JSON.parse darwin Tests return null; // set darwin local storage values function set Darwin State test Name, key, value var darwin State ; if darwin State test Name ! undefined value; else const my Test State new Darwin State key, value ; darwin State test Name ; my Test State. Pointer Event window.MSPointer Event return on ; // others return off ; ; // set local storage cookie if incognito if notIE is Private ; ; // AdBlock check function is AdBlocked var ad Element var isadblock ad Element ! ad Element.offset Width ad Element.offset Height true; return isadblock; // set darwin variant to ensure no variant switching function setdarwin Variant testid, variant testid ' global', variant ; // hide the pencil or the element function hide Unit testid, pencilid set Darwin State testid, 'has Closed', true ; 'u-hidden'; false ; // grab the number of times the users has seen the units and increment it by 1 function set Unit State testid, variant const darwin State get Darwin State ; var has Seen Unit 1; if && ! undefined has Seen Unit if has Seen Unit 1 set Darwin State testid, 'variant', variant ; set Darwin State testid, 'has Seen Unit', has Seen Unit ; // right now doesnt do anything much // but this can be useful if we want to define properties that cannot be changed // or seal the object in order to not delete keys. function Darwin State key, value this. Value; // get province or city according to datalayer postal code function getprovince city var pCode First Char ; if window.tgam.datalayer && && pCode First Char 1 .to Upper Case ; if pCode First Char 'V' return 'BC'; else if pCode First Char 'T' return 'AB'; else if pCode First Char 'L' pCode First Char 'M' return 'ON'; else if pCode First Char 'K' return 'OT'; else if pCode First Char 'B' return 'HF'; else if pCode First Char 'G' pCode First Char 'H' return 'QC'; else return ''; else return pCode First Char; // count the number of views for homepage, for custom units if window.location.href var count count count 15 0 count; document.cookie 'homepgfeature ' count; // schedule the test function schedule start, end var today new Date ; return new Date start today && today new Date end ; // set number of views function set Frequency pencilid if get Cookie pencilid ! true var count 1 document.cookie pencilid count ;path / ; // call apis function getapi url, compare if -1 return fetch url .then function resp return resp.json ; .then function data if return compare ; // readinghistory else if // return compare if //CEM-1014 for check return get Article data, compare ; else //CEM-1020 for check return compare ; .catch function error return error; ; else return false; // Anonymous user profile functions function get Country object, country Code //temporary target UK if country Code 'GB' if object ! 'US' && object ! 'CA' custom Element ; if object country Code custom Element ; return; function check Country object, country Code if object country Code analytics Layer.push event click Event click Event test Id cem111 feature check Country action country Code, type test label country variant Name none segment Name none ; return; (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

goods orders: On Thursday, the key market gauge gained 32.74 points. ; The Topix index of all first-section issues edged down 3.98 points, or 0.25 percent, to finish at 1,609.52 after a marginal rise of 0.03 point the previous day, according to The Japan Times. Tokyo stocks got off to a dismal start, in the wake of a downturn on Wall Street Thursday. The 225-issue Nikkei average fell 38.72 points, or 0.18 percent, to end at 21,425.51. Investor sentiment was dampened by weaker-than-expected economic data including U.S. durable goods orders, brokers said. In particular, stocks were hurt by individual investors' small-lot selling, an official at a bank-affiliated securities firm said. For the rest of the session, the market was pressured by selling to lock in profits amid a dearth of fresh trading incentives, they added. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

securities firm: The euro was at 1.1346-1346, up from 1.1334-1334, and at 125.65-66, up from 125.54-55. ; The dollar rose above 110.70 around midmorning on buying by Japanese importers, shrugging off earlier sluggishness caused chiefly by a slight downturn in the Nikkei stock average, according to The Japan Times. The greenback was trapped in a very narrow band in the afternoon amid a dearth of market-moving factors. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at 110.74-76, against 110.76-76 at the same time Thursday. The dollar was supported by growing expectations for progress in the trade negotiations ahead of a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He later on Friday, an official of a major securities firm said. A Japanese bank official suggested the possibility of risk-on dollar-buying gathering steam if the U.S.-China talks are able to make investors expect a certain agreement to be clinched before the current trade war truce expires on March 1. Another market source pointed out that players refrained from active trading in view of range-bound movements of the dollar-yen pair since the beginning of this week. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

kraft: Consumers, seeking healthier fare, have flocked away from famous products such as Heinz Tomato Ketchup, Jell-O and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, according to The Guardian. We were overly optimistic on delivering savings that did not materialize, the Kraft Heinz chief executive Bernardo Hees conceded on a conference call with investors, after the company announced it would slash its dividend. The company, which has disclosed that in October it received a subpoena from the Securities and Exchange Commission SEC has been battling pressure on the value of its brands since it came into existence via a 49bn merger in 2015. Investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has been particularly hard hit, losing more than 4bn in a day as shares in Kraft Heinz plunged. Buffett's faith may be seen as a rare misstep. Kraft Heinz is one of Buffett's largest positions, with 325m shares at the end of 2018. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.