Self-styled bank sheriff Ben Lawksy hangs up his badge May 21, 2015 Banks in the UK and across Europe will be breathing a little easier next month after New York’s top financial crime cop Ben Lawsky, who mounted an aggressive campaign against some of the world’s biggest institutions, exits his role policing financial firms operating in the Big Apple to take up a West Coast teaching job. [...]
Wall Street closes up on crude rebound – New York Report April 9, 2015 ENERGY shares led the US market higher yesterday as crude oil rebounded off a sharp decline, while investors bet that companies would top lowered expectations this earnings season. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 56.22 points, or 0.31 per cent, to 17,958.73, the S&P 500 gained 9.29 points, or 0.45 per cent, to 2,091.19 and the [...]
Investing at the gates of hell: Why Kurdistan makes sense – Animal Spirits March 26, 2015 Each month John Hulsman examines under-appreciated opportunities around the world, uncovering markets that it would be easy to overlook. Drake’s prayer, written in 1577 by the legendary English sea captain Francis Drake as he was about to embark on his circumnavigation of the globe, has been much on my mind recently. “Disturb us, Lord, to [...]
Iran will limit uranium enrichment but deal remains unlikely, officials say July 3, 2014 Iran has agreed to reduce the number of its uranium enrichment centrifuges during negotiations in Vienna, but officials say the concession will not be enough. The talks, which involve Iran, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, are aimed at helping the world powers come to an agreement on Iran's contested nuclear [...]
Wall St falls as caution returns – New York Report March 3, 2015 US SHARES finished down yesterday, a day after the S&P and Dow hit records, and the Nasdaq retreated with technology stocks. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 85.26 points, or 0.47 per cent, to 18,203.37, the S&P 500 lost 9.61 points, or 0.45 per cent, to 2,107.78 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 28.20 points, or [...]
Wall St knocked as Twitter tanks on leaked result – New York Report April 28, 2015 VOLATILITY was the name of the game yesterday, although two of the three major US stock indexes as the Dow and S&P 500 ended a rollercoaster session higher, helped by strong earnings from Merck and gains in IBM after it boosted its dividend, while the Nasdaq fell with Apple. Just before the close, shares of [...]
Commerzbank fined $1.45bn over sanctions violations March 13, 2015 Commerzbank, Germany's second-biggest lender, has been fined $1.45bn (£974m) by US authorities. US regulators said this morning the bank was being charged for violating sanctions against Iran and Sudan, as well as for a part it played in money laundering on behalf of Olympus, the Japanese electronics giant. The bank turned a "blind eye", the [...]
CNBC Comment: Don’t expect oil respite from Iran or Iraq June 16, 2014 IT’S A busy fortnight for oil traders. First, there was the Opec meeting in Vienna last week. Hot on its heels came the unexpected crisis in Iraq, the second largest Opec producer, which resulted in nine-month highs for West Texas Intermediate and Brent Crude prices on concerns over supply disruption. And there will be no [...]
World Cup: Jeers for Nigeria after being held to goalless draw by Iran June 16, 2014 NIGERIA 0 IRAN 0 AFRICAN champions Nigeria were booed off the pitch in Curitba last night after being held to the tournament’s sole draw so far. In a game of few clear cut chances, minnows Iran were content to sit back and soak up pressure, but Nigeria did not have the quality required to break [...]
Audio visual: Iranian-American artist Ali Banisadr comes to the UK February 5, 2015 East meets west in Iranian-American painter and synaesthete Ali Banisadr’s first ever UK show Celestial and earthly, east and west, figurative and abstract – worlds collide in the work of Ali Banisadr. The Iranian painter specialises in a kind of ornate chaos where the ruffs and plumes of material finery tumble and swirl into spectral, [...]