Markets really hate uncertainty
Markets across Asia rallied on Tuesday as Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Wellington, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta all rose after yet another record on Wall Street as President Biden’s…
Age of surveillance capitalism
THROUGHOUT history, intellectuals have grappled with finding ways to bring about social and economic order. In this quest, where some have identified the market as the institution that instils order,…
After capitalism
AS the beast of capitalism continues to pile misery on us, the search for alternatives has gained impetus even as the beast bellows, getting back to its feet after its…
In China, stocks-for-loans under stress as markets slide
A sharp drop in mainly small-cap Chinese stock prices has exposed a new and potentially destabilising pocket of leverage in the world's second-largest economy. The value of shares that shareholders…
New central bank harmony has markets changing their tune
The world's top central bankers have delivered what seems to be a collective message this week that quantitative easing is being put back in its box and interest rates are…
Political risk climbs in New Zealand markets as Labour leads in poll
Investors in New Zealand's financial markets are suddenly having to price in political risk after a decade of stability, as a nailbiting election race looks set to trigger a shake-up…
As investors look to Jackson Hole, options markets see ‘a lot of nothing’
Traders in the US equity options do not expect the Federal Reserve’s symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming later this month to spark big moves in stocks, even as a focus…
Poorest countries will follow a tricky path back to debt markets
Ghana and Pakistan’s return to international debt markets this week, a year after Covid slammed them shut, has been an encouraging sign for the world’s poorest countries, but investors still…
Markets look to ECB for reassurance on cheap money
The European Central Bank is on Thursday expected to stress its commitment to keeping borrowing costs low, as inflation concerns and a slow vaccination drive weigh on the eurozone economy.…
Time to abandon shareholders’ capitalism
In China a majority of the economy is in private hands, but the government retains a decisive role, setting the long-term direction, and intervening in critical sectors and at critical…
