Japan
Shareholder activism has been on the rise in Japan. Will that continue in the post–COVID-19 world?
In January, 70% of CFA Institute Financial NewsBrief readers didn't expect a US recession in 2016. So what about 2017?
The 12 TPP member countries jointly produce 40% of global GDP and represent about 800 million consumers. How will the agreement affect your business? What will be the impact on the companies you invest in? We have put together this primer to help you develop a framework for analysis and zoom in on some of the key issues.
After declining 7.3% in Q2 2014, Japan's GDP fell 1.6% in Q3 2014 — officially placing the country in recession. It seems Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's "Abenomics" strategy is failing. Should this really be a surprise?
At the recent CFA Institute China Investment Conference held in Shanghai, Goldman Sachs economist Jiming Ha painted a not-so-rosy picture of China’s economic growth outlook. He believes government spending has already become… READ MORE ›
The FT/IMF recently reported that more than 62% of foreign central banks' assets are denominated in US dollars, of which a significant portion is in US Treasuries.
We may believe that inflation is a relatively new phenomenon, one from the time of the birth of coins and currencies, but for those of us that live in the world of numbers and taxes, the key to the discovery was the term used for the exponential growth of particles that became planets and other objects. That term was "inflation." Thus, the term from the physical world describes a power that keeps growing.
After the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011, Japan shut down its nuclear power fleet. This loss of nuclear power forced Japan to import substantially more oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG). The incremental demand from Japan has caused LNG prices to skyrocket to $17/mcf (thousand cubic feet) from a historical range of about $10 to $12/mcf. This additional spending on energy imports is dragging down Japan's current account surplus.
The number of people over 80 will double by 2050, from 3.9% of the population to 9.1% across OECD member countries, and from 4.7% to 11.3% across 27 EU members. It is estimated that up to half of this elderly population will need help coping with their daily needs; yet even today, governments are battling to deliver high-quality care to those with impaired physical and mental abilities.
The quantitative easing recently announced by the Bank of Japan may benefit investors who hold Japanese equities, but Ron Rimkus, CFA, sees the classic makings of one big investment bubble.