Governments do not want to acknowledge that a Central Bank does not have the ability to bolster the economy. Monetarism has not worked. The massive purchase of corporate bonds by the Central Banks has not worked. They have been left alone to face the problem and they have failed. The solution is to activate demand and Central Banks cannot do this.
BBVA Research | The demise of the branch has been prophesised for decades, yet it still remains a crucial access point for bank services, valued by most bank customers. However, the question about the future of retail branches looms large as mobile and online banking are becoming ubiquitous, most routine retail banking services that do not involve cash are becoming available remotely, and as customers are ever more comfortable with the new technologies for accessing them.
Natixis AM | Currently, the most important graph is the price of oil. Last week, the oil price was was above its level of August 2015. The oil price has started to fall at mid-2014. Since this moment, the oil price was always below the level it had one year before. This has changed last week. It’s the first time since 2014 that we see such a crossing.
On the eve of the Jackson Hole Fed gathering, the San Francisco Reserve Bank Chairman, John Williams, has launched an enlightening debate on the challenge raised by protracted natural interest rates. The so-called r-star would rank now close to zero in the US and below that threshold in the Eurozone.
Hu Shuli via Caixin | Chinese sports fans following the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro have noticed something different about the latest generation of Olympians representing their country. Today’s young athletes are a lot less inclined to cry if they fail to win a gold medal. It’s a whole new ball game: China has replaced a form of gold-medal worship with true appreciation for athletic endeavors and achievement.
The minutes of the FOMC’s policy meeting July 26-27 showed voting members were split over whether to raise US rates soon. The majority of the committee believe more macro data is needed before hiking rates, but some expect a move will be needed sooner rather than later.
Coco Feng via Caixin | Growth in China’s fixed-asset investment from January to July slipped to 8.1 percent, the lowest year-to-date rate in over 16 years, as private companies tightened their purse strings, data from the National Statistics Bureau (NBS) released on August 12 showed.
Ceng Ying via Caixin | Chinese athlete Deng Wei clinched a gold medal in the Olympic women’s weight-lifting competition on August 11, winning fame and, likely, some financial security. But the price paid by this 23-year old from an impoverished village in western part of Fujian province was a steep one, as it is with many athletes.
Julius Baer Research| As speculation swirls ahead of next month’s informal oil producer meeting, it feels like ground hog day in the oil market. With prices diving into the lower 40s per barrel, talks about supply cuts from oil cartel’s members, OPEC, have resurfaced. We see the chances of any action as exceptionally slim.