Markets Archives - Page 583 of 782

Germany Demands End To US “Cold War” Spying Activities

The German government on Monday said large-scale U.S. spying on the European Union, if confirmed, is unacceptable and urged Washington to restore trust in the wake of the damaging allegations.

Speaking at a press conference, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Steibert said the government had learnt with “astonishment, better said with great displeasure” the extent of U.S. spying activities on the European Union after an exposé by German news weekly Der Spiegel.

Is A Broader Financial Derisking Cycle At Hand?: Nouriel Roubini

The prices of a wide range of risky assets have been rising, despite sluggish GDP growth worldwide. This discrepancy reflects a new period of financial-market volatility – one that could mark the beginning of a broader de-risking cycle for financial markets.

Key Economic News To Watch This Week: July 1

This week, Croatia officially joins the European Union while the North Korean nuclear and missile threat is the subject of an ASEAN security forum.

Monday, July 1

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum continues its security forum in Brunei. Japan, the U.S. and South Korea are arranging a meeting of foreign ministers on the sidelines to confirm their unity on the North Korean nuclear and missile threat.

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, with 56 participating states, holds its parliamentary assembly in Istanbul.

“Democratic Values” Vital For Turkey’s EU Bid, Says Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that while she would support an agreement to reopen talks with Turkey about joining the European Union, human rights and democratic values are “non-negotiable” elements for accession into the Union and European leaders cannot “pretend that nothing had happened” in light of violent crackdowns in anti-government protests across Turkey.

China To Prioritise Reform Over Growth

China’s central bank chief on Friday said it stands ready to preemptively “adjust” liquidity in the market to ensure stability, a policy that would prioritise the need for reform in China’s economy while keeping the lid on speculative lending in the country’s booming shadow banking sector.

JFK’s Enduring Legacy in Peacemaking: Jeffrey D. Sachs

Many consider hatred and conflict inevitable, owing to a fundamental clash of values and interests. Fifty years ago, U.S. President J.F. Kennedy showed that peace could be achieved even in the most difficult circumstances. His courage, vision, eloquence, and political skills are an affirmation that the path to peace must always be preferred to the dead end of war.

Italy Faces €8bn Debt Restructuring Losses

Italy could face losses of about 8 billion euros on derivative contracts that were restructured at the height of the eurozone crisis, reported the Financial Times and Italian daily La Repubblica, which also alleged that Rome used the contracts to “window dress” its public accounts to join the euro in 1999.

The newspapers, which quoted a 29-page report from the Treasury, said the contracts worth about 32 billion euros were taken out in the 1990s while European Central Bank president Mario Draghi was Director General of the Italian Treasury.

US Overtakes China As Preferred FDI Destination

The United States has overtaken China for the first time since 2001 in an annual survey on foreign direct investment sentiment, an indication of growing investor confidence and optimism in the world’s largest economy, a study showed on Wednesday.

The United States narrowly outscored China to reclaim first place in this year’s foreign direct investment confidence survey by consulting firm A.T. Kearney of executives from 302 companies worldwide.

Is Africa Sowing Seeds Of Its Own Subprime Crisis?: Joseph Stiglitz & Hamid Rashid

There are no easy, risk-free paths to development and prosperity but borrowing money from international financial markets is a strategy with huge downside risks. It is no secret that sovereign bonds carry significantly higher borrowing costs than concessional debt does, so why are an increasing number of developing countries, particularly Sub-Saharan economies, resorting to sovereign-bond issues? And why have lenders suddenly found these countries desirable?

Asia Leading Spike in Global Arms Trade

Massive defence spending in the Asia-Pacific region is driving an “explosion” in the global arms trade, and Asian military budgets are likely to eclipse the United States’ by 2021, a study by respected analysts IHS Jane’s showed on Tuesday.

The global arms trade jumped by 30 percent to $73.5 billion between 2008-2012 in spite of the economic downturn, driven by surging exports from China and demand from countries like India, and is set to more than double by 2020, defence and security consultancy IHS Jane’s said on Tuesday.