Global News

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,…

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…

How has Japan responded to the COVID-19 pandemic that swept across the globe starting in early 2020? Let's explore the Bank of Japan and the government's tactics to help out the economy. Bank Of Japan Japan's central bank, the Bank of Japan (BOJ), has been one of the world's most proactive in monetary accommodation and asset purchases, both governmental and private securities, bonds as well as stocks, since the 2008…

Like so many other countries around the world, South Africa was faced with responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here's how both the government and the reserve bank reacted. South African Reserve Bank On 20 March 2020, the South African Reserve Bank, the country's central bank, cut its benchmark repo, or repurchase, rate by 100 basis points to 5.25% from 6.25%. On 15 April it reduced it further by 100 basis…

Following the early 2020 onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the global population eagerly awaited a vaccine capable of combating the virus. Although developing such products typically takes years, policymakers world-wide committed to rapidly creating a COVID-19 countermeasure. Over the course of the process, the financial markets reacted to approvals, setbacks and expectations posed by a potential coronavirus inoculation. Impact Of COVID-19 On Growth Projections Traditional financial theory tells us…

On 7 January 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) identified the root cause of an influenza-like outbreak in the city of Wuhan, China. Referred to as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the highly contagious disease spread rapidly despite quarantines of affected cities and travel restrictions. By 10 March 2020, COVID-19 moved through more than 110 countries, resulting in approximately 113,702 confirmed cases and 4,012 fatalities. The economic fallout from COVID-19 was…

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic chaos, governments and central banks around the world have created and rolled out dozens of financial rescue and economic stimulus plans to shield individuals and businesses affected by the lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Below, you can find links to our guides covering major countries' responses to the pandemic, both by the governments and their central banks. We will…

Eskom is a 100% state-owned electricity company that provides energy to greater South Africa (SA). Featuring 30 power plants and a nominal generating capacity of 44,172 megawatts (MW), Eskom services 6.2 million direct customers. Given its massive size and government-sponsored status, the utility conglomerate is the backbone of South Africa's energy infrastructure. Unfortunately for the country's economy, Eskom has fallen on hard times. Widespread corruption, rising operational costs and staggering…

What Is A Recession? When a country's economy grows, its citizens benefit as the value of services and goods increases—namely the gross domestic product (GDP). By contrast, when a country faces a period of economic decline there is a marked reduction of trade and industrial production. When this happens across two quarters, the overall GDP declines, and the economy is said to be in a recession. History Of Global Recessions…

A Drop of 17% in Five Years - London Stock Exchange Experiences Decline in the Number of Companies Trading Judging by the number of companies which are currently trading on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), by all accounts the trading platform appears to be losing its appeal. In 2020 the number of companies trading on the LSE declined to an all-time low. Even though the platform is a powerful player…