Month: January 2017

Riding the smart beta wave

Investors liked their low trading costs and ability to deliver benchmark returns by tracking an index, a commodity, bonds, or a basket of assets. Smart beta ETFs are carefully constructed indexes that rank stocks by traits other than their market value, the standard methodology employed by traditional benchmarks, such as the Standard & Poor’s 500.

Oil Eases After Two-Day Gain

U.S. oil ticked lower on Monday, falling for the first time in three sessions as prospects of rising U.S. production weighed on the market. U.S. energy companies last week added the most rigs drilling for new production in almost four years.

Oil Eases After Two-Day Gain

U.S. oil ticked lower on Monday, falling for the first time in three sessions as prospects of rising U.S. production weighed on the market. U.S. energy companies last week added the most rigs drilling for new production in almost four years.

JP Morgan Sees U.S. Telecom Consolidation, T-Mobile Deal

U.S. telecom sector could be on the brink of a major consolidation under President Donald Trump’s likely more merger-friendly administration, said JP Morgan Securities, which now sees a 90 percent chance of T-Mobile US being involved in a strategic transaction in the next five years. T-Mobile could be involved in tie-up with Sprint, or be acquired by a cable company, JP Morgan said, adding that a transaction involving Dish Network or a sale to a foreign player that wants a foothold in the U.S. wireless market is also likely.

JP Morgan Sees U.S. Telecom Consolidation, T-Mobile Deal

U.S. telecom sector could be on the brink of a major consolidation under President Donald Trump’s likely more merger-friendly administration, said JP Morgan Securities, which now sees a 90 percent chance of T-Mobile US being involved in a strategic transaction in the next five years. T-Mobile could be involved in tie-up with Sprint, or be acquired by a cable company, JP Morgan said, adding that a transaction involving Dish Network or a sale to a foreign player that wants a foothold in the U.S. wireless market is also likely.

Hong Kong Shares Edge Up

Both the benchmark Hang Seng index and the Hong Kong China Enterprises Index were up 0.1 percent at the close, to 22,898.52 points and 9,726.82 points respectively. The market was under profit-taking pressure after recently rising above 23,000 points and would likely end the week around 22,800 points, predicted Steve Leung, director at UOB Kay Hian Holdings.

United Airlines Software Glitch, London Fog Ground Flights in U.S., Europe

Travellers faced a series of disruptions after a software glitch halted United Airlines traffic and London’s Heathrow Airport cancelled more than 100 flights amid intense fog. Travellers in the U.S. and Europe faced a series of disruptions late Sunday and into the start of the week after a software glitch halted United Airlines traffic and London’s Heathrow Airport cancelled more than 100 flights amid intense fog in the British capital.

United Airlines Software Glitch, London Fog Ground Flights in U.S., Europe

Travellers faced a series of disruptions after a software glitch halted United Airlines traffic and London’s Heathrow Airport cancelled more than 100 flights amid intense fog. Travellers in the U.S. and Europe faced a series of disruptions late Sunday and into the start of the week after a software glitch halted United Airlines traffic and London’s Heathrow Airport cancelled more than 100 flights amid intense fog in the British capital.

European Stocks Called Lower Amid Dollar Pullback

European stock are expected to open lower Monday amid a major pullback in the U.S. dollar sparked by increasing concerns over the protectionist signals from President Donald Trump. European stock are expected to open lower Monday amid a major pullback in the U.S. dollar sparked by increasing concerns over the protectionist signals from President Donald Trump.

China Box Office: ‘Arrival’ Leads Quiet Pre-Holiday Weekend

Cinemas were ghostly quiet as the country prepares for a wave of big local releases, lead by Stephen Chow and Jackie Chan, over the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday. Denis Villeneuve’s critically acclaimed sci-fi drama Arrival scored a weekend win at the Chinese box office, but it did so during the country’s weakest release frame of the year – the weekend before Chinese New Year.

China Box Office: ‘Arrival’ Leads Quiet Pre-Holiday Weekend

Cinemas were ghostly quiet as the country prepares for a wave of big local releases, lead by Stephen Chow and Jackie Chan, over the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday. Denis Villeneuve’s critically acclaimed sci-fi drama Arrival scored a weekend win at the Chinese box office, but it did so during the country’s weakest release frame of the year – the weekend before Chinese New Year.

Beware the Hedge-Fund Wipeout in Treasuries as Bearish Bets Soar

The “fast money,” made up of hedge funds and other speculators, upped its bearish bets like never before this month, based on futures data for five-year notes. At the same time, “real-money” accounts, composed of institutional buyers like mutual funds and insurers, did the opposite and built up their bullish positions in much the same way.

Beware the Hedge-Fund Wipeout in Treasuries as Bearish Bets Soar

The “fast money,” made up of hedge funds and other speculators, upped its bearish bets like never before this month, based on futures data for five-year notes. At the same time, “real-money” accounts, composed of institutional buyers like mutual funds and insurers, did the opposite and built up their bullish positions in much the same way.

Toshiba Climbs After Reports Its Chip Business Drawing Interest

Toshiba Corp. shares climbed the most in three weeks after reports the company’s plan to sell a stake in its chip unit is drawing attention from possible investors. The stock climbed as much as 7.3 percent to 264.8 yen in Tokyo, the biggest intraday gain since Dec. 30. Toshiba may sell a 20 percent stake in its memory chip operations to raise as much as 200 billion yen and has received interest from Canon Inc. and Tokyo Electron Ltd. as well as overseas private equity funds, the Asahi reported, without citing anyone.

Samsung Says Battery Was Key Cause of Galaxy Note 7 Fires

Samsung Electronics Co.’ s difficulties with Note 7 smartphones last year were caused by irregularly designed batteries that led to overheating and fires as the South Korean company announced the results of a lengthy probe into the debacle The initial batch of batteries were made by an affiliate, Samsung SDI Co.

It Takes Just 8 Weeks to Find a Job in Singapore

Job cuts in Singapore may be at the  highest  since 2009, but official data shows workers still have it easier than most. As local politicians seek to appease the population, the most recent figures show Singapore remains one of the easiest countries in the world to find work.

OPEC and Friends Agree on Way to Monitor Oil Cut to End Glut

OPEC and other oil producers agreed on a way to monitor their compliance with last month’s historic supply deal, putting global markets on track to re-balance after more than two years of oversupply. The countries have already cut oil supply by 1.5 million barrels a day, more than 80 percent of their collective target, since the deal took effect on Jan. 1, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy and Industry Khalid Al-Falih told reporters in Vienna.

Hong Kong Retains Title of World’s Costliest Home Market

Hong Kong retained its rank as the most expensive housing market among 406 major metropolitan regions in the annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey for the seventh year in a row. The median price of a home in Hong Kong last year was 18.1 times the median annual pretax household income, the survey showed.

Ethics Group To Sue Trump, Claiming Constitutional Violations

A group of ethics experts and constitutional scholars plans to file a lawsuit against President Donald Trump on Monday morning, claiming that Trump is breaking the law by allowing his hotels and other businesses to profit from foreign governments. Trump was pressed to divest his business holdings before he took office, but did not, instead passing day-to-day operations to his two adult sons.

Too Much Ain’t Enough as Investors Jump Into Oil Market Rebound

Their bets on rising West Texas Intermediate crude prices reached the highest in data going back to 2006 as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producers reduce output to balance the market. Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Kuwait have already made deeper cuts than required, while Russia has been able to reduce supply faster than expected, ministers from the countries said over the weekend in Vienna as they gathered for the first meeting to monitor adherence to their output-cut accord.

Young consumers ‘expect better service’

A study by the Institute of Customer Service found that while businesses were improving, a half of consumers with problems had to complain more than twice to get them sorted out. The Institute conducts a study twice a year charting customer service by drawing, in part, on the experiences of 10,000 people.

Your 2017 Guide to Retirement Planning

Saving for retirement is a challenge many workers face, but without an amply funded nest egg, you risk running out of money as a senior. Let’s explore your options for saving for retirement so that you can get started as soon as possible.

3 Stocks That Are Up 20% in January

The S&P 500 has risen less than 1% since the beginning of the year, but plenty of stocks posted double-digit gains during that time. Let’s take a closer look at three stocks that have rallied about 20% in January — Shopify provides a cloud-based e-commerce platform for small to medium-sized businesses.

OPEC, allies says production cuts ahead of schedule

OPEC and key non-OPEC oil producers are near their target of taking 1.8 million barrels of crude a day off global markets less than two months after agreeing to do so in efforts to push up the price of crude, Russia’s energy minister said Sunday. Alexander Novak’s upbeat comments to reporters came at the end of the first meeting of a joint OPEC-non-OPEC committee set up to monitor compliance to the Dec. 10 agreement.