What are the business cycles and how do they affect economy and our life? Business cycles are the fluctuations in economic activity that occur over time. They are characterised by alternating periods of expansion and contraction, which affect various aspects … Continue reading What are the business cycles?
René Benko, the founder of Signa, established the company in 1999 at the age of 22. Signa has since grown to become one of the largest privately held real estate conglomerates in Austria, with a portfolio that includes commercial, residential, … Continue reading Rene Benko’s Property Empire Fall
Credit Suisse, one of the world’s largest and most prestigious banks, has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons lately. The Swiss bank has been rocked by a series of scandals and losses that have tarnished its reputation … Continue reading Credit Suisse: A Brief History of Scandal and Collapse
Financial Options: A Guide to Puts and Calls If you are interested in trading financial options, you need to understand the basics of puts and calls. These are the two types of derivative contracts that give you the right, but … Continue reading What are financial options?
How the 2008 Financial Crisis Shook the World The 2008 financial crisis was a global economic disaster that had far-reaching consequences for millions of people. It was triggered by a collapse of the US housing market, which exposed the fragility … Continue reading Financial crisis in 2008
Market stories Binance Binance’s crypto dominance is under threat after the loss of founder and CEO Zhao. Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty to breaking US anti-money laundering laws and resigned as the chief executive of Binance. He will pay a $50 … Continue reading Market update: 20-26 November 2023
Bias is a disproportionate weight in favour of or against an idea or thing, usually in a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. We typically hear about the biases in a social context, however the investing decisions as well … Continue reading Biases and behavioural finance
A hedge fund is an investment vehicle that pools together money from a group of investors and uses a variety of investment strategies in an attempt to generate high return, which is very similar to what we have discussed under … Continue reading What are Hedge Funds?
In the intricate world of financial markets, efficiency and transparency are paramount and the SEC (US regulatory body) has adopted the rule to shorten the settlement cycle and yet another step to improve the financial markets. The new settlement cycle … Continue reading Moving to T+1 Settlement: Streamlining the Financial Markets
Commodities trading refers to the buying and selling of raw materials that are either grown (agricultural commodities) or mined (metallic and non-metallic minerals). These materials are traded on specialized markets called commodities exchanges. Some examples of commodities include metals such … Continue reading Commodities
Fund accounting is one of the most typical services the custodians alongside the safekeeping function. This type of accounting is used by the financial funds on money entrusted to them by donors, grantors, or other external sources. In fund accounting, … Continue reading Fund accounting
Futures and forwards are financial derivatives that are used to hedge against or speculate on the price movements of an underlying asset. The forwards gave birth to derivative markets and were initially used for various commodities only. With the development … Continue reading What are futures and forwards?
An ETF, or exchange-traded fund, is a type of investment vehicle that holds a diverse portfolio of assets and trades on a stock exchange, similar to a stock. ETFs can hold a wide range of assets, including stocks, bonds, commodities, … Continue reading What are exchange-traded fund (ETFs)?
The asset management industry is a financial services sector that includes companies and organizations that manage investments on behalf of clients. Asset management firms offer a range of investment products and services, including various funds covering wide range of both … Continue reading What is asset management industry?
Securities lending is a financial transaction in which an investor lends out securities, such as stocks or bonds, to another party in exchange for a fee. Securities lending is typically used to facilitate various types of financial transactions, such as … Continue reading What is securities lending?
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