Everything Under Heaven: Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road could cement China as the world’s superpower October 19, 2017 “Everything under heaven is in utter chaos; the situation is excellent,” wrote Mao Zedong in his little red book. With every crisis comes opportunity, he thought. The motto is as apt today as it was half a century ago. As an increasingly isolated America crawls from the world stage, the EU grapples with internal conflicts. [...]
RBS chairman Howard Davies: Banks set to trigger Brexit contingency plans in March 2018 without details of transitional period October 8, 2017 The chairman of Royal Bank of Scotland has said he’s not concerned that the government has taken its “eye of the ball” when it comes to Brexit amid continued in-fighting in Theresa May’s government. But Howard Davies warned that “some” jobs at the bank will go and that the damage of leaving the EU on [...]
iPhones, oil and active investing: seven best investment charts of the month October 6, 2017 Taiwan tech tied to iPhone launch If history has taught investors anything, it is that the hype surrounding the latest iPhone launch by Apple usually ends up falling short of expectations. And this extends to the share prices of the many components suppliers involved in the giant’s supply chain too. In Asia, many Taiwanese technology [...]
Gordon Brown warns next financial crisis could come from Asia September 28, 2017 Massive shadow bank lending to firms in Asian economies could be storing up the next global financial crisis, according to former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Brown today warned economists may not be able to work out the extent and direction of liabilities if a credit crunch begins in Asia. A crisis could be fomented by [...]
Finance: How it made civilization possible September 22, 2017 What is finance, where does it come from, and why does it matter? William N. Goetzmann, of the Yale School of Management, addressed these questions in his presentation at the 62nd Annual Financial Analysts Seminar. He led participants on a tour through financial history, illuminating distinctive artefacts that demonstrate the critical role finance has [...]
The world’s first ever insurtech IPO has raised $1.5bn September 22, 2017 The world’s first float of an insurance technology (insurtech) firm has raised US $1.5bn (£1.1bn). Monday’s IPO of ZhongAn Online Property & Casualty Insurance has been priced at the top of its indicated range at HK $59.70, sources told the Financial Times. The public offering of the online-only group marks the world’s first float of [...]
What Brexit? UK investors are feeling more confident in their investments than European peers, Legg Mason finds September 11, 2017 UK investors are more optimistic than their average European counterpart, despite uncertainty around Brexit, according to a study out today. Half (50 per cent) of UK investors are somewhat optimistic about the returns their investments could achieve over the next year, while 13 per cent are very optimistic. Eight per cent were not optimistic at [...]
Taxify boss criticises Transport for London after botched launch of ride-hailing Uber alternative September 9, 2017 The chief executive of ride-hailing app Taxify has criticised “hostile” London transport authorities who forced his firm to stop operating less than a week after it launched in the capital. Markus Villig, Taxify founder and chief executive, said he had been “surprised” by the “most hostile regulatory body we have ever encountered”, accusing Transport for [...]
Want some of the best Chinese food in the world? Go to Taiwan September 8, 2017 Seeking the best in Chinese food and culture, but feeling pressed for time? Skip the mainland and get it all in one place. Go to Taipei. In 1949, after years of civil war, the nationalist forces of the Kuomintang withdrew to an island in the South China Sea, leaving the communists in control of the [...]
Baroness Bitcoin of Arabia: Michelle Mone and Douglas Barrowman on their delve into the world of cryptocurrency September 6, 2017 Baroness Michelle Mone, and her billionaire property mogul partner Douglas Barrowman, this morning open the sale of two 40-storey residential towers spanning 2.4m square feet in Dubai. Building a huge complex in the Emirates isn’t itself remarkable – the Middle Eastern playground for the rich is peppered with luxury apartments, largely paid for in state-owned [...]