Putin sees strong Russian Economy, but advisers disagree
October 3rd, 2014
Though the president depicted an open and stable economy, senior officials acknowledged slow growth and the flight of foreign investors. President Vladimir V. Putin did his best to paint a rosy picture of the Russian economy in a speech ...
Why is Cyprus Tourism Failing?
October 2nd, 2014
World tourism is the one industry that does not seem to have been affected by the financial crisis. Tourist arrivals to various global destinations have grown steadily. The numerous upbeat statements of the Cyprus Tourist Organization (CTO) give the ...
Contributing Authors
October 2nd, 2014
Dr Alan Waring Dr Alan Waring has 35 years’ experience in risk management. His several books include Managing Risk (1998), co-authored with Prof Ian Glendon, Practical Systems Thinking (1996) and Corporate Risk and Governance published in May 2013. He has presented numerous conference and ...
Draghi’s Buying Spree for the ECB Might Start Modestly
October 2nd, 2014
When Mario Draghi writes his first check to pay for asset purchases, he might not use much ink. While the European Central Bank president pledged to start a program this month to buy asset-backed securities and covered bonds, initial ...
Banks pull out of dozens of benchmarks after rate-rigging scandals
October 2nd, 2014
Some of the world’s largest banks have stopped contributing to dozens of financial benchmarks to avoid further litigation risk in the wake of the Libor and foreign exchange rate rigging scandals. Deutsche Bank, Citigroup, JPMorgan and UBS, among others, ...
Tax Tactics Threaten Public Funds
October 2nd, 2014
When the European Commission charged this week that Ireland’s sweetheart tax treatment of Apple amounted to an illegal corporate subsidy, the company said that it had done nothing wrong. Corporate tax strategies intended to minimize global taxes, by hook ...
Asia down as Ebola scare hits Wall St., dollar rally on pause
October 2nd, 2014
Japanese stocks were knocked hard on Thursday as weak global manufacturing activity and an Ebola health scare in the United States spooked world markets, sending investors scurrying to the safety of U.S. bonds, the yen and gold. The gloom ...
EU publishes details over Apple’s Irish tax breaks case
September 30th, 2014
European Union antitrust officials published Tuesday details about a decision to open an in-depth investigation into Apple’s tax deals with Ireland that it alleges fall short of international standards. In a letter from the European Commission to Irish authorities ...
Arbitration may be dropped from EU-US trade deal
September 30th, 2014
The EU’s incoming trade chief on Monday raised the possibility that controversial investor protections which she described as politically “toxic” could be dropped from a new transatlantic trade deal, suggesting the pact could be less ambitious than Washington and ...
Draghi Devaluing Euro Cheers ECB as Inflation Seen Fading
September 29th, 2014
Mario Draghi’s strategy for reviving the euro area looks like devaluation. While the European Central Bank president says the exchange rate isn’t a policy target, officials aren’t secretive about their approval of the currency’s 9% slide. The depreciation increases ...