Global Markets

The U.S. presidential election of 2020 was a hotly-contested battle between two candidates with very different ideologies. Among the key areas of contrast were views toward climate change and energy production. Accordingly, the electoral cycle was defined by conflicting policies from pro-energy incumbent President of the United States (POTUS) Donald Trump and environment-friendly challenger Joe Biden. Upon Biden securing a 306 to 232 victory in the Electoral College, U.S policies…

As an exotic currency, the South African rand (ZAR) has been historically sensitive to world events. One of the primary reasons behind the rand's responsiveness is the lack of consistent market depth. When compared to the global majors and minors, the ZAR typically exhibits a much smaller daily traded volume. According to the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) Triennial Survey 2019, the South African rand accounts for 1% of total…

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic brought the world a collection of unprecedented humanitarian and economic challenges. From the virus's initial onslaught in late-February to a November surge in infection rates, COVID-19 was a primary underpinning of 2020's global capital markets. Since the onset of the novel coronavirus, infectious disease experts have warned of a potentially devastating "second wave" of the virus sweeping the globe. As the fourth quarter of 2020 commenced,…

United Kingdom Government Since March 2020, the government of the United Kingdom and the country's central bank, the Bank of England, have announced several major economic stimulus programs and policy measures to protect British businesses, consumers and institutions from the effects of the coronavirus. The government's support is mainly focused on supporting businesses and individuals through subsidized and government-guaranteed loan programs, outright grants, and tax and payment holidays. Coronavirus Business…

What Is Ant Group? Ant Group is a large Chinese financial services and technology company that is closely affiliated with Alibaba, the giant Chinese ecommerce site. Ant was founded in 2004 and then spun off as a separate company in 2014. Alibaba still owns a 33% stake in Ant. Ant is the parent company of Alipay, China's largest mobile payments platform, which was created largely to facilitate spending on Alibaba.…

Over the past several decades, China's international financial influence has expanded multifold. Featuring massive domestic consumption of US$6 trillion for 2020, a renowned export sector and dynamic "dual-circulation" strategy, China has evolved into a prominent global economic force. However, for a majority of the world's investment capital, the Chinese markets remain heavily restricted. With the late-2020 signing of the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), China's isolationist policies are beginning…

Since Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. General Election of 2016, the sitting President of the United States (POTUS) has been a polarising and controversial figure. From alleged Russian collusion to unprecedented Twitter practices, constant criticism has been a central theme among political adversaries. While critique and open discourse are staples of U.S. politics, an actual removal from office or impeachment of a POTUS is rare. On 24 September 2019,…

A U.S. administration headed by former Vice President Joe Biden is likely to take a different turn from the outgoing President Donald Trump administration when it comes to financial and economic matters. Trump was distinctly more pro-business and market friendly, reversing or rolling back many of the regulations and laws enacted by President Barack Obama. However, Biden is likely to do the same to many of Trump's policies and revert…

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020 proved to be a challenging period for the global economy. Unprecedented regional lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass quarantines prompted a historic downturn. Although some regions were harder hit than others, the common denominator was a rapid spike in unemployment. For heavily afflicted areas, a dramatic uptick in unemployment can have severe consequences. Traditional economic theory suggests that growing unemployment represents a downturn in…

What Is Wirecard? Wirecard is a defunct German payments company that failed in June 2020 following a scandal in which it is accused of defrauding investors by claiming revenue and cash that proved to be nonexistent. Called the "Enron of Germany," the company had once been a high-flying financial technology company that, right up until the time of its collapse, was a member of the DAX 30 index, which tracks…