Prices have been on an upward trajectory in 2021, with oil leading the pack. Factors such as increased demand facing reduced supply led to crude prices jumping nearly 45 percent during the first half of the year. Will it hit the milestone of $100 per barrel soon? Some experts predict it will, while others hold more reserved expectations.
Equities across most of the major Asia-Pacific (APAC) markets encountered massive sell-off on Tuesday, 11 May, following the downbeat Wall Street with the tech-heavy benchmark Nasdaq Composite sliding more than 2.5 per cent. Led by the heavy drop in the blue-chip technology stocks, including Apple, Tesla, Facebook, Amazon, Alphabet, Netflix, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Paypal, the Nasdaq Composite suffered a loss of 350.38 points, or 2.55 per cent to close at 13,401.86 on 10 May.
Until recently, stock trading was the exclusive domain of high-flying, wealthy Goliaths. With the arrival of avenues such as digital platforms, every-day Davids are entering the arena and, by coordinating their efforts, significantly influencing the prices of targeted stocks. Such was the case of GameStop, with its share price recently experiencing a wild ride after attracting investor interest from different corners, including a band of Davids in Reddit’s WallStreetBets forum.
Secondary stock markets and cryptocurrency markets share a few things in common. First off, they have both been panned by critics. But more importantly, they have slowly gained acceptance as vehicles to provide funds to pre-IPO growth firms, some of which are now worth millions, and create liquidity pools for investors. Will crypto markets follow the trail blazed by the once denounced secondary stock markets into widespread acceptance?
You would have to be living with your head buried in the sand not to realize that we are witnessing the Fourth Industrial Revolution, of which the Blockchain Revolution is an integral part. The necessity of working with digital assets is forcing the reinvention of traditional financial infrastructure, and only those banks that adapt and participate in the metamorphosis are sure to capitalize on the generous rewards.
During his campaign, US President Donald Trump was short on praise for Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen. But since taking office in January, he has softened his public remarks about her low interest-rate policies, and there is even the possibility that he might re-nominate her in 2018. Would the reappointment of an avowed monetary-policy dove work for or against his economic plans in the future?
The November elections are soon approaching for Americans, and it now looks increasingly like a two-horse race for the US presidency. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have emerged as clear contenders in the last few weeks, leaving their rivals by the wayside.
Since the sub-prime crisis Wall Street and big brand national banks have been the focus of the media’s attention. However, since 2006 the real growth engine behind the United States’ banking sector has been the relatively new and small “off the radar” regional community banks, and so called backwater financial centers, away from Wall Street.