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

marine corps: The Chinese claim would block innocent passage by other countries' ships and is not permitted by international law, a U.S. 7th Fleet spokeswoman, Cmdr, according to The Japan Times. Reann Mommsen, said. On Friday an American warship approached the Paracel Islands, an island chain claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea, to affirm international freedom of navigation in the region. ; The USS Wayne E. Meyer, a guided-missile destroyer, passed near the islands to contest Beijing's sweeping claims to the seas around the archipelago, which is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. Friday's was the sixth freedom of navigation operation or FONOPS in naval jargon this year, a clear acceleration in pace. On Wednesday, the U.S. Marine Corps announced it had conducted exercises on the Japanese islet of Iejima, hundreds of miles south of Tokyo, to practice landings on hostile shores and the seizure of landing strips. There were a total of eight in 2017 and 2018, and only six during the entire Obama presidency. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

outsize interest: The grandaddy of all funds, SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY, -0.31% is down 20.6 billion in the year to date, while the second-biggest, iShares Core S&P 500 ETF IVV, -0.29%, increased its size only about 3.9%. Invesco's popular tech giant, the QQQ Trust QQQ, -0.45% which is the fifth-biggest fund, has also lost money this year, according to Market Watch. See Tired of market turbulence These ETFs offer to define your financial outcomes Meanwhile, some of the smaller of the top 20 are seeing outsize interest relative to their stature. But as analysts at Jefferies Equity Research point out, some of the biggest funds have seen outflows this year, while some small, niche products are picking up lots of interest. The growth in assets has taken another twist and looks to be moving into smaller ETFs that cover very specific investment segments, like USMV for minimum volatility, the Jefferies analysts said. That's a reminder that investors seeking income have to look to stocks, not bonds. USMV, which Market Watch profiled over the summer, is the ticker for the iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol USA ETF USMV, -0.19% . As markets keep churning, it's picked up a whopping 9.6 billion so far this year, increasing its assets by 28%. Here's a reminder on why all the funds profiled here are sponsored by ishares, Vanguard, or SPDR, the trade name for State Street Global Advisors See 3 fund managers may soon control nearly half of all corporate voting power, researchers warn None of the other top 20 funds has seen anything like that kind of move, according to Jefferies' calculations, but Vanguard's Dividend Appreciation ETF VIG, -0.72% has gained 2.1 billion assets or 5.5%, and its High Dividend Yield fund VYM, -0.45% has gained 1.1 billion, 4.3% of its size. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

price tag: Now his biggest backer, Japan's Soft Bank, is urging him to scrap an IPO that may peg The We Company's worth at less than 20 billion, according to the Financial Times, according to Global Times China. The problem is that WeWork may not last long without the proceeds of an IPO. Soft Bank and its affiliated Vision Fund have pumped almost 11 billion into Neumann's company. Mere months ago the WeWork co-founder's bankers touted a 65-billion public-market value for the office sublessor's parent, according to news reports. It has probably marked up those holdings, having invested most recently at a 47-billion price tag. For WeWork, however, a non-listing could be disastrous. Writing the shares down by more than half after a cut-price IPO - and perhaps also being heavily diluted by newly issued shares - would be embarrassing for Chief Executive Masayoshi Son while he is raising Vision Fund 2. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

renmin university: The shares closed down 7.5 percent at HK 1.24 0.16 . Photo VCG The gradually stabilizing situation in Hong Kong is one reason that companies are resuming IPOs on the Hong Kong bourse, analysts said on Sunday, according to Global Times China. Logistics real estate developer ESR Cayman and Anheuser-Busch InBev both announced plans last week to revive IPOs that were shelved over the summer. The company suggested that the trade war has had basically no impact on its operations, as less than 20 percent of the routes are affected by the trade row and customers are adjusting. The two IPOs are both heavyweights. The gradually stabilizing situation in Hong Kong is behind the return of these IPOs, said Liu Ying, a research fellow at Renmin University of China's Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies. Budweiser Brewing Co APAC - AB InBev's Asian unit - would be the largest among pulled deals globally this year, with ESR Cayman the third-biggest, according to media reports. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

technology cqqq: With the U.S. - China trade war buffeting markets, American investors may be curious about China, according to Market Watch. But what's the right approach You can choose from China bull YINN, -3.05% or bear YANG, 2.94% funds, or slice and dice the country's economy into sectors health care CHIH, -0.93% technology CQQQ, -0.90% biopharma, and more. The company may be one of the most obvious examples of the blurry lines between public service and private enterprise in China. But you might also consider an approach that confronts China for what it is a exchange-traded fund that strips out the notoriously opaque Communist government-owned enterprises, allowing investors to focus their money on private companies instead. The reality is anything but. The investment thesis behind that ETF, the Wisdom Tree China Ex-State-Owned Enterprises CXSE, -1.11% is straightforward private corporations are run more efficiently and act in the best interests of shareholders rather than the state. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

no-deal planning: The length of the downturn was already poised to exceed the slump after the 2008 financial crisis, when business investment fell by a greater degree but only for two years, according to The Guardian. The business lobby group warned that relentless Brexit uncertainty was preventing firms from investing and diverting resources into no-deal planning. Paving the way for the longest period of annual declines in business investment since the turn of the millennium when the dotcom bubble burst to drag down investment around the world the BCC said investment in the UK was due to fall for three years in a row. Those funds might have otherwise been spent on improving economic productivity or developing new products in the UK. Separately, the Institute of Directors IoD has called on the UK and EU to compromise to chart a way forward on Brexit while urging both to improve no-deal planning efforts. A clear majority of IoD members have repeatedly expressed concern that a disorderly Brexit would damage their organisations. The institute has published survey about the impossible situation facing business leaders. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

party: Fiery exchanges can be expected to continue on Monday over embattled Liberal MP Gladys Liu when politicians go head to head in parliamentary question time, according to Nine News Australia. Ms Liu, the member for the Victorian seat of Chisholm, is under fire over donations to the Liberal Party, which have been put at 1 million, and possible previous links to the Chinese Communist Party. To improve your experience update it here News National Fiji PM welcomed as Labor hounds Liu By 9 news com auAAP2 19pm Sep 15, 2019Facebook Tweet Mail The parliamentary week in Canberra will start to the sound of cannon fire as Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama is greeted with a ceremonial welcome on his official visit to Australia. This week we want two people to be accountable, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese told reporters in Sydney on Sunday. He is also outraged that this scrutiny of a member of parliament has been described as racism. The member for Chisholm should give a statement to the parliament. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

week: Not a subscriber You can sign up right here, according to CNN. The US Federal Reserve looks set to follow the European Central Bank, and cut rates next week by perhaps a quarter of a percentage point. A version of this story first appeared in CNN Business' Before the Bell newsletter. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has made clear that he doesn't think a US recession is likely, but he has acknowledged that economic headwinds are intensifying. The comments helped bolster investor expectations that a rate cut will be announced following the central bank's meeting on September 17 and 18. There are all these risks, and we're monitoring them very carefully and we're conducting policy in a way that will address them, he said earlier this month. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

week: The proposals were unchallengeable, he said, according to The Guardian. That's not true, obviously. When asked at an event last week if he would support a new plan that would raise an estimated 7bn a year for the exchequer, the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, had a one-word answer yes. Labour's plans for a financial transaction tax FTT were being challenged even as McDonnell spoke. The financial sector employs a million people, paid 75bn in tax last year and provides essential products such as pensions, mortgages and insurance, said Stephen Jones, the chief executive of UK Finance, the trade body for the financial sector. The City has enormous lobbying power and the machine was quickly cranked into gear. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

story: And they're ranked -- so the No. 1 story is the most important of the coming week, according to CNN. Every Sunday, I will outline the 5 BIG storylines you need to know to understand the upcoming week on the campaign trail. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

apple event: Moving even further from record territory was the Nasdaq COMP, -0.22% though an Apple event coming later could re-energize the tech sector, according to Market Watch. Of course when it comes to new highs, it's worth considering they beget newer highs rather than trigger a selloff. The S&P 500 SPX, -0.07% finished slightly weaker, but 1.6% away from a July 26 record close on Monday. That brings us to our call of the day, from Andrew Sheets, chief cross-asset strategist at Morgan Stanley, who says the global economy may be poised for an upside surprise and investors aren't ready for it. Its admittedly a tough one to swallow but maybe China leads everything now-a-days https //t.co/oM7flw1ZBM Andreas Steno Larsen Andreas Steno September 10, 2019 In this scenario, yields and inflation expectations would rise meaningfully, as markets assume less easing is needed and better days lie ahead, he said. In a note to clients that published over the weekend, Sheets explores the possibility that his bank's below-consensus view on global growth could be wrong, and better days may be ahead if trade tensions thaw further, China offers more stimulus and global manufacturing woes start to bottom out. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

china: They visited exhibitions at the center to learn about the history and development of China's modern patent system, and watched a demo on the process of examining a patent application of a robotic arm for surgery, according to Global Times China. The event was organized by the Information Office of the State Council to promote China's progress to foreign journalists. On Thursday, the foreign journalists visited the NIPA's Patent Examination Cooperation Beijing Center. China attaches great importance to the IPR protection, not only for creating a good environment for opening up, but more importantly, for its own development, said Gan in response to a question raised by a Russian journalist. Without strict IPR protection, there will be no innovation and no economic and social development. The Chinese government has put forward the idea of innovation-driven development. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

customers: In the improper cases, customers were confirmed only once, when signing contracts, but were reported as being confirmed twice in internal reports, the company said, according to The Japan Times. The announcement adds to concerns about the Japan Post group's governance capabilities following earlier revelations that Japan Post Insurance Co. and Japan Post Co. engaged in improper insurance sales. The cases involve the violation of internal rules that govern sales of investment trusts to customers age 70 or older, the Japan Post Holdings Co. unit said Friday. ; The rules require staff to check customers' health conditions and their understanding of the terms of the financial products twice, once at the time of soliciting and again with contract signing. Improper procedures were carried out without thinking, to save steps, Masahiro Nishimori, managing executive officer at Japan Post Bank, told a news conference. Of the total cases, 17,700 violations were committed between April 2018 and February 2019, and the remaining 1,891 took place between April 2018 and March 2019 at Japan Post Co., which sells investment trusts on behalf of the bank. As a company, we have a lot to regret, such as giving insufficient guidance and making complicated manuals, he said. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

china: Over the past decades, Qu has witnessed the difficulties faced by China in this area, according to Global Times China. He likens the struggle to the legend of Sisyphus pushing the giant stone to the peak. The bureau has become the current Ministry of Environment and Ecology MEE . Qu began his environmental protection career in the 1970s, when there was not much awareness in China of this concept. Luckily, China's environmental protection efforts are on the right track. The report was posted on the official website of the MEE. Revealing pollution Qu was a member of the first Chinese government delegation to the first United Nations Environment Program, the first director of the Chinese environmental protection bureau and Department of Resource Conservation and Environmental Protection. I have been working in the environment sector for almost 50 years, and had never seen such a good situation as there is now, Qu said in an interview with the Southern Weekly. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

david friedman: But the story of Trump, his closest advisers in the Middle East, and what is arguably the most dramatic change in direction of US policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in decades, is inextricably intertwined with Beit El, one of Israel's most radical settlements, according to The Independent. In the town, which overlooks the Palestinian administrative capital of Ramallah and is home to some 7,000 Israelis. Or the seemingly watertight relationship between the administrations of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. David Friedman, Trump's chosen US ambassador to Israel, once headed an American fundraising organisation that has pumped millions of dollars into the settlement. 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.

debt europe: It's more than the trade war, according to Market Watch. A sense of vulnerability is replacing the previous confidence and with good reason, he wrote in his latest market update. According to our call of the day from John Mauldin of Mauldin Economics, 2020 will be the most volatile year in history for investors The last few weeks marked a turning point in the global economy. We are vulnerable, and we'll be lucky to get through the 2020s without major damage. Remember when experts said to keep politics out of your investment strategy he asked. Mauldin pointed to supply shocks, the trade war, interest rates, unproductive debt and Europe's mess as some of the factors set to create the perfect storm, but it's one volatility bomb, in particular, that could blow up best-laid plans. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

dollars: December corn was up 1.5 cents, or 0.41 percent, to 3.6875 dollars per bushel, according to Global Times China. November soybeans were up 3.25 cents, or 0.36 percent, to 8.9875 dollars per bushel. The most active wheat contract for December delivery was down 0.25 cent, or 0.05 percent, to settle at 4.835 US dollars per bushel. CBOT soybean futures rose on follow-through buying, as the latest development on US-China trade scenario supported the market. China supports domestic companies in purchasing a certain amount of US farm produce in line with the rules of the market and the World Trade Organization, according to sources with the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce . The trade news largely overshadowed fresh crop forecasts from the US Department of Agriculture on Thursday, which projected corn and soybean harvests in the United States above trade expectations. China's Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council will exclude some agricultural products such as soybeans and pork from the additional tariffs on US goods, official sources said Friday. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

conference: But as industry experts at a recent sustainability conference told me, again and again we don't have time to wait for perfect, or for people to reject all the conveniences of modern life, according to The Guardian. It is more important to do something now than nothing at all, to our later cost. They are not all doing everything; some are better than others and they could always be doing more. I take the view that big change comes from big business, which is why I've included global megabrands where there is at least the will and potential for improvement. Some believe 100% organic, non-GM products are the only way to go; others rightly point out that some crops can be grown organically only thousands of air miles away. What constitutes improvement is another bone of contention, of course. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

email newsletters: Email Sign UpBy signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time, according to MSNBC. Facebook Twitter Email Print POLITICO Playbook What Republicans are furious about By JAKE SHERMAN and ANNA PALMER 09/14/2019 09 33 AM EDTUpdated 09/14/2019 11 52 AM by Rep. Sign up for POLITICO Playbook today. Elise Stefanik specifically raised concerns about data sharing. The loss of Hamza bin Ladin not only deprives al-Qa'ida of important leadership skills and the symbolic connection to his father, but undermines important operational activities of the group. Hans Pennink/AP Photo DRIVING THE DAYSTATEMENT FROM THE PRESIDENT, released this morning Hamza bin Ladin, the high-ranking al-Qa'ida member and son of Usama bin Ladin, was killed in a United States counterterrorism operation in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

intermural battles: Here Matt Taibbi documents how the news media has become a tool in the intermural battles between factions of our ruling elites, manipulating us for their ends, according to MSNBC. Deception is a state of mind and the mind of the State. Main Menu Home About us Authors Our politics Predictions hits Fails & Smackdowns Contact usA thrilling spy story in the news, mostly lies By Larry Kummer, Editor / 7 Comments / 14 September 2019 15 September 2019Summary To govern America, we need to clearly see the world. Attributed to James Angleton, one of America's greatest intel officers, ever.ID 24169126 Photowitch Dreamstime. Matt Taibbi is one such new source. The past few years have seen the amazing decay of the major news media, driven by their politicization and shift to infotainment a deadly combination . Perhaps driven by this vacuum, new sources of information have arisen. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

nazi swastika: On the issue of whether the Rising Sun flag conveys a political message, I don't see it that way at all, she said. ; South Korean Culture Minister Park Yang-woo wrote to the International Olympic Committee this week, comparing the flag to the Nazi swastika and pressing for it to be kept out of Olympic venues, according to The Japan Times. The rising sun with rays distinct from the modern Japanese flag was used by the Imperial Japanese Army during its invasion and occupation of swaths of Asia. New Olympics minister Seiko Hashimoto one of the country's best-known Olympians on Thursday rejected South Korea's call to ban the flag as political propaganda. The rising sun motif is still used by the postwar Maritime Self-Defense Force, and Japan pulled out of a naval review around the South Korean island of Jeju last year after Seoul said the current MSDF variation should not be flown. The flag tussle is the latest outbreak in a deepening feud between two of Asia's largest economies, which has already seen South Korea raise questions about food safety at Olympic venues. The imperial-era flag is also favored by right-wing groups in Japan. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

italian authorities: The previous government, under a rigid anti-migrant policy led by right-wing leader Matteo Salvini, banned charity rescue boats from entering Italian waters and disembarking migrants on Italy's shores, according to The Japan Times. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's week-old coalition now contains the center-left Democrats, whose leaders have called for a more humane policy on the rescue boats. Ocean Viking's crew said Italian authorities instructed the ship to sail to Lampedusa. ; The ship, which had appealed for days for a port of safety, is operated by two humanitarian groups, Doctors Without Borders and SOS Mediterranee. Italy's current and previous governments have insisted on more solidarity from fellow European Union nations, saying the migrants set out on their journeys seeking asylum or better economic conditions in Europe as a whole, not necessarily Italy. Germany and other EU countries have advocated finding at least an interim solution to the impasse over rescues in the Mediterranean Sea, ahead of a meeting of the bloc's interior ministers in Malta on Sept. 23. Germany's interior minister said in a report published Saturday his country is prepared to take in a quarter of migrants rescued off the Italian coast as the European Union tries to find a solution to repeated standoffs involving humanitarian groups' ships. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

loan growth: This material has been extracted from filings released by the SEC from Sept. 5 through Sept. 11, 2019, according to The Independent. Source Insider Score Activist Holdings First United FUNC Driver Management revealed on Sept. 5 that it holds 360,637 shares of the community bank, equal to nearly 5.1% of the outstanding stock. Subsequent changes in holdings or intentions must be reported in amended filings. That figure includes 256,637 shares purchased from July 24 through Aug. 30 at a price range of 19.93 to 21.55 each. Driver continued that First United lacks scale to justify an elevated expense base and possess a branch network that has been unable to create sufficient operating leverage due to lackluster organic loan growth. Driver disclosed that it intends to purchase additional shares, as it believes First United represents a very attractive investment opportunity an opportunity that others seem to have discovered, as well. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

octavio marenzi: But what was once considered the domain of quantitatively oriented hedge funds and other well-heeled investors has become a must-have for traditional asset managers struggling to deliver market-beating returns, according to Market Watch. Traditional investment managers face three options, said Octavio Marenzi, chief executive officer of Opimas, a capital-markets-focused management consulting firm. The explosive growth in the amount of alternative data sets an array of information gleaned from the web, satellites and even consumers' wallets hasn't proved to be a panacea. The first option is to embrace alternative data and effectively adopt a more quantitative approach. And the third option is to go home and give up, he told Market Watch. The second is to go into passive investing, tracking an index and abandoning research altogether. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

service envelope: It had arrived with 10 round, blue pills inside, the markings of pharmaceutical-grade oxycodone stamped onto the surface, according to The Independent. The young man took out two, crushed and snorted them. Lurking on a trash can at the edge of the picture was what prosecutors said delivered this death an ordinary, U.S. Postal Service envelope. But the pills were poison, prosecutors said counterfeits containing fatal grains of fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid that has written a deadly new chapter in the American opioid epidemic. That's where a clean-cut, 29-year-old college dropout and Eagle Scout named Aaron Shamo made himself a millionaire by building a fentanyl trafficking empire with not much more than his computer and the help of a few friends. The envelope was postmarked from the suburbs of Salt Lake City. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.

media: Towns and cities entered bids after the scheme was announced in May, with the Midlands winning the largest share of 21.1m, according to The Guardian. The government's future high street fund is providing 52m, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport DCMS 40m and the National Lottery Heritage Fund 3m. The funding is intended to breathe new life into struggling high streets across the country bytransforming abandoned buildings into shops, houses and community centres. The announcement comes after it was revealed this week that 16 storeshad shut down every day in the first half of 2019, a retail crisis fuelled by an increasing shift to online shopping that has already cost tens of thousands of jobs. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government MHCLG has since promised an additional 325m to bring the size of the fund to 1bn. Last year the then chancellor, Philip Hammond, announced a 675m fund intend to halting high street decline that has left one in 10 shops in UK town centres lying empty. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.