International
Pension Funds Chasing Yields Eye Catastrophe Bonds
Pension funds are turning to specialist bonds that bet on the likelihood of a natural disaster, in a search for yield and returns that are not correlated to the rest of the market. What was once ...
Global Crowdfunding Volumes Up 81% In 2012; More Than Half From U.S. Websites
Crowdfunding websites helped companies and individuals worldwide raise $2.7 billion from members of the public in 2012, an 81 percent increase on the previous year, data showed on Monday. As banks ...
Trying to Fix Broken Economics: Kaletsky
Here is a list of economic questions that have something in common: In a recession, should governments reduce budget deficits or increase them? Do zero percent interest rates stimulate economic ...
China Banks Shifting Risks to ‘Shadow System’ of Insurers, Brokerages, Trusts
China's banks are feeding unwanted assets into the country's "shadow banking system" on an unprecedented scale, reinforcing suspicions that bank balance sheets reflect only a fraction of the actual ...
Deadly New Bird Flu Shows Value of Controversial Research
Scientists in the Dutch city of Rotterdam know precisely what it takes for a bird flu to mutate into a potential human pandemic strain - because they've created just such mutant viruses in the ...
‘Black Swan’ Hedge Funds Losing Favor with Investors
Hedge funds set up to profit from huge market slides are falling out of favor, signalling that investors are increasingly confident leading central banks can avert the kind of meltdown that followed ...
U.S. Encourages South Korea to Join Trans-Pacific Trade Talks
The United States would welcome South Korea joining negotiations on an Asia-Pacific free trade agreement, a senior U.S. trade official said on Wednesday, as Washington continues to weigh Japan's bid ...
India to Create Own Reinsurance Fund to Cover Refiners of Iran Oil
India plans to set up a fund of up to 20 billion rupees ($368.4 million) to back local insurers in offering cover to refiners who process Iranian crude, three government sources said, as sanctions ...