European stocks are seen lower Friday morning as geopolitical concerns take center stage. The FTSE 100 is seen down by 29 points at 7,235; the DAX is set to start off by 48 points at 12,559 and the CAC 40 is seen lower by 12 points at 5,259. Investors are set to take cues from […]
Read moreFINANCIERS with PhDs like to remind each other to “read your Kindleberger”. The rare academic who could speak fluently to bureaucrats and normal people, Charles Kindleberger designed the Marshall Plan and wrote vast economic histories worthy of Tolstoy. “Read your Kindleberger” is just a coded way of saying “don’t forget this has all happened before”. […]
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German elections: Why hungry stock traders should be wary of Sunday's vote
German and broader European equities have enjoyed a stellar start to the year but during a bumpy summer stocks retraced many of those gains. Recent weeks have seen their fortunes improve once again but past performance suggests that the upcoming German Federal election scheduled for this Sunday, September 24, could threaten some of the current […]
Read moreGermans are heading to the polls on Sunday September 24 for a federal election which will ultimately decide whether the incumbent chancellor, Angela Merkel, has another four years in power. Polling stations open on Sunday morning and close at 6:00 p.m. local time (12:00 noon ET) and soon after, public broadcasters Das Erste and ZDF […]
Read moreCurrency, United States Finance
The UK is reportedly willing to pay $24 billion to the EU to retain its single market access
Prime Minister Theresa May will say on Friday Britain is willing to pay 20 billion euros ($24 billion) to the European Union during a post-Brexit transition period, but only if it has access to the bloc’s single market, the BBC’s political editor reported. May, who is weakened after losing her party’s majority in a June […]
Read more“IT WAS 2012…I was number 37,” says Ashwini, referring to the badge that was pinned on her shirt pocket. Her task was to go onto the stage and introduce herself to around 70 eligible bachelors and their parents. Families then conferred and, provided caste and religious background proved no obstacle, would approach the event’s moderator […]
Read more“MI GENTE” lures listeners with a mesmerising hook, a thumping beat and lyrics about breaking down barriers. A collaboration between J Balvin, a Colombian reggaeton star (pictured), and Willy William, a French producer, the latest product of this summer’s Latin craze is crooned almost entirely in Spanish. (The title means “My People”; reggaeton borrows from […]
Read moreIF SAUDI ARAMCO is a state within a state in Saudi Arabia, then the blandly named Oil Supply Planning and Scheduling (OSPAS) is its deep state. To enter it, you pass tight security at Aramco’s suburban-style headquarters in Dhahran, in the east of the kingdom. The transition is eye-opening. Suddenly, English is the common tongue […]
Read moreRYANAIR, an Irish airline, is known for three things: low fares, the brash way in which Michael O’Leary, its chief executive, advertises them, and its record for sticking to its flight schedules. The last of these is key to its appeal: many businessmen chose Ryanair more for its punctuality than its cheapness. And so the […]
Read moreTHREE-QUARTERS of Americans admit that they search the web, send e-mails and check their social-media accounts in the bathroom. That is not the only connection between tech and plumbing. The water and sewage industry offers clues to the vexed question of how to regulate the Silicon Valley “platform” firms, such as Alphabet, Amazon and Facebook. […]
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