Israel flights under review July 23, 2014 NUMEROUS airlines in the US and Europe have cancelled flights to Israel as a result of the conflict in Gaza, after a rocket landed just a mile away from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. In the UK, easyJet suspended yesterday’s flights to Tel Aviv and said it would review its operations on a day-by-day [...]
New York Report: World affairs rock markets July 21, 2014 US stocks slipped yesterday as investors remained cautious about instability in Ukraine and Gaza, though the three major indexes ended well off their lows, a sign that some appetite for riskier assets remained. The S&P 500 fell as much as 0.6 per cent, though it closed right above its 14-day moving average, suggesting buyers were [...]
Wall St The Week Ahead: US markets rebounding July 21, 2014 VOLATILITY spiked last week after the tragedy of a downed civilian jetliner in Ukraine and the mounting death toll in Gaza and Israel interrupted the summer trading slumber. Still, the bears may have to wait a while to call the start of a correction. Uncertainly took over Wall Street Thursday as investors fled stocks, giving [...]
This Middle East tragedy will become a catastrophe if Obama missteps now July 14, 2014 My wife recently passed along to me an almost unutterably beautiful video from the Royal Shakespeare Company. In it, Camille O’Sullivan performs “Daughter, Dear Daughter” from the Bard’s moving The Rape of Lucrece, giving voice to the universal anguish of a parent burying a child. It ends with the harrowing plea, “Then live, sweet Lucrece, [...]
MH17 plane crash and US sanctions against Russia fuel oil price jump July 18, 2014 Global oil prices have risen steeply as fears of a prolonged period of heightened geopolitical tension, and its possible impact on oil supplies, grew following the downing of the Malaysia Airlines jet in eastern Ukraine. The crash of flight MH17 on route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, which led to the loss of 298 [...]
MH17 plane crash: Markets slump as Malaysian Airlines share price falls July 18, 2014 European shares edged lower today, weighed down by geopolitical risks in the aftermath of the MH17 Malaysian Airlines crash over eastern Ukraine and the Israeli ground offensive in the Gaza strip. Investors reacted with caution to the uncertainty over how the downing of the jetliner would impact the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and separatists, as [...]
Hamas agrees ceasefire with Israel over Gaza November 21, 2012 ISRAEL and the Islamist Hamas movement agreed yesterday to a ceasefire to halt an eight-day conflict around the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 140 Palestinians and five Israelis. Announcing the ceasefire in Cairo, Egyptian foreign minister Mohamed Kamel Amr said it would come into force at 9pm (7pm GMT), which would give 1.7m [...]
As the conflict in Israel and Gaza continues, can the situation be effectively contained? November 19, 2012 YES Adam Hug This crisis can be contained but it will take more than pressuring Hamas to come to ceasefire, or pressing Israel for restraint and an end to its current rules of engagement. The international community must set out a plan to securely relieve the blockade of Gaza, allowing consistent movement across the Rafah [...]
Investors should expect a perfect storm of global political instability November 19, 2012 VIOLENCE in Israel and Gaza may seem to be a solely political (or geopolitical) issue. But politics has implications for all investments, and particularly sovereign debt. Governments drive policy and policy drives the bond markets. Instability used to be more of an issue for emerging markets. But we are now entering a new age of [...]
Calls for Gaza ceasefire after deaths mount November 18, 2012 INTERNATIONAL pressure for a ceasefire was mounting yesterday after five days of Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel and Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip. An Israeli missile killed at least 11 Palestinian civilians including four children in Gaza yesterday, medical officials said, after an attack on a top militant that brought a three-storey home [...]