Why financial markets matter
A well-developed financial system comprising dynamic capital markets and a robust banking sector is considered a critical driver of investment, productivity, and sustainable economic growth. Here, I discuss how the…
A volatile calm – the paradox of 2016 financial markets
Traditional measures of volatility at historic lows and Wall Street stocks at new record highs went hand-in-hand in 2016 with traders fretting about bouts of wild stock-price swings and currency…
Disciplining international financial markets
KEY European leaders who had been campaigning for a new regulatory body to monitor international finance but could not clinch a favourable decision at the G-20 summit of November 15…
Reimagining Pakistan’s financial architecture
Imagine the year 1624. The world has not yet imagined New York, let alone the Stock Exchange that would one day shape global finance. The Industrial Revolution is still more…
Next up for markets: A crisis of confidence in the dollar
In times of market panic investors tend to rush to the safety of the dollar, but when stocks swooned in response to US tariffs this week, they ran away from…
Carbon markets with a gendered lens
Carbon markets are emerging as an essential financial mechanism in the global effort to combat climate change. By assigning a monetary value to carbon emissions, these markets incentivise emission reductions…
For Musk’s Starlink, India approval could unlock emerging markets
As Starlink nears regulatory approval in India for satellite broadband services, analysts say a victory there could pave a road into more emerging markets and boost the company’s ambitions to…
Markets wrestle with Trump’s unconventional debt ideas
Investors are weighing whether Donald Trump might turn to unconventional ideas to try to bring the ballooning US debt under control, after the president insisted he won’t cut popular health…
Strong stock and bond markets at odds over global growth
It looks like something has to give in global markets. Stocks and bonds around the world have rallied atypically together since the start of the year, rewarding investors both bullish…
Markets staying rather cautiously optimistic?
Following last week’s turbulent session brought on by tariff concerns, the market is calmer now that the matter has been postponed for 30 days because both the neighbours of the…
