The four horsemen of the chocolate apocalypse: Here’s why there’s a chocolate shortage November 18, 2014 Say it ain't so. Leading confectioners have warned the world could be about to run out of chocolate. In its annual results published earlier this month, Barry Callebaut, the world's largest chocolate manufacturer, said it had sold 1.72m tonnes of the brown stuff in the year to the end of August, an 11.8 per cent [...]
Hong Kong-Shanghai Stock Link: Landmark day for Chinese stock market as tie-up launches November 17, 2014 City investors will be given better access to the world’s second largest equity market today when China’s Shanghai Stock Exchange launches a landmark tie-up with its Hong Kong counterpart. The Hong Kong-Shanghai Stock Link, which launched in the early hours of this morning, will allow investors to buy Chinese stocks directly for the first time [...]
Goodbye QE, hello uncertainty November 13, 2014 The Federal Reserve in the US has been looking to extract itself from its quantitative easing (QE) programme over the last 18 months, but feared if it did so too soon, it would cause turmoil in the financial markets. It has finally concluded, having made $4 trillion (£2.5 trillion) of bond purchases, that it is [...]
How Hong Kong is planning to become Asia’s answer to Silicon Valley November 12, 2014 Hong Kong has long been a magnet for those seeking business success, and this week the former UK colony is making its case to be Asia’s technology hub of choice. A year on from the inaugural StartmeupHK Venture Forum, Hong Kong will once again welcome hundreds of international founders, investors and policymakers to make [...]
Mortgage Advice Bureau IPO: Housing boom helps broker’s stock flotation November 11, 2014 The Mortgage Advice Bureau (Mab) defied choppy markets to price its initial public offering (IPO) yesterday. It has achieved healthy growth this year on the back of a strong housing market, and buyers looking for more help on loans as the prospects of an interest rate rise grow. The loan brokerage is set [...]
Dow and S&P eke out rises on a slow day – New York Report November 11, 2014 THE DOW and S&P 500 yesterday eked out a fifth session of record-closing highs, barely extending the market’s recent rally in light volume as consumer discretionary shares gained. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 1.16 points, or 0.01 per cent, to 17,614.9, a record high close. The S&P 500 gained 1.42 points, or 0.07 per [...]
The emerging market growth story: Is it due a comeback? November 11, 2014 EMERGING market investors saw spectacular annual returns of around 30 per cent between 2003 and 2007. Over those four years, the developing world enjoyed a virtuous cycle of strong commodity prices, high capital inflows, strong currencies and falling inflation. That cycle is now working in reverse – emerging markets have underperformed developed markets by 50 [...]
Russian bank VTB could de-list from London due to Ukraine sanctions November 10, 2014 Russian lender VTB is looking at de-listing in London and moving to Chinese stock markets, because international sanctions are squeezing its business. The bank listed in London in 2007, seeking the global capital markets focused in the UK. But pro-Russia separatists’ seizure of Crimea and fighting in Ukraine have led to sanctions on people close [...]
Inflation dips to four-year low in China as economy slows down November 10, 2014 Inflation in China remained low in October, signalling the economy was still cooling. The consumer price index – the headline inflation figure – was 1.6 per cent higher in October than it was last year, according to figures yesterday released by the National Bureau of Statistics. Annual CPI is at its lowest since December 2009. [...]
Singles’ Day 2014: China’s retail giants set for sales windfall during world’s biggest online shopping day November 10, 2014 China's biggest online retailers, including the recently floated Alibaba, are set for the biggest online shopping day in the world tomorrow. Last year, Singles’ Day was responsible for $5.8bn (£3.6bn) worth of orders for Alibaba alone. This year that figure is expected to grow by 42 per cent to around $8.2bn, according to market [...]