By Jeff Desjardins, Visual Capitalist CAN UPSTART ROBO-ADVISORS COMPETE AGAINST SCALE? It was going to happen sooner or later. When they launched roughly five years ago, tech-driven companies such as Betterment or Wealthfront had the audacious and laudable goal of taking on the incumbents of the gargantuan wealth management industry. Many traditional wealth managers were skeptical of … Continue reading
Members of the Saudi royal family appear to be preparing to go into exile as they are selling as much oil as possible in order to move their petrodollars out of the country. The declining oil price doesn’t matter. Clear signals are coming from the U.S. that the days of the incumbent clans are numbered. In … Continue reading
As the crisis in Venezuela deepens, its largest brew maker has suspended the production of beer and other malt beverages on Friday amid a spat with the government over the access to foreign currency. Cervecería Polar, Venezuela’s largest private company and largest beer maker, with over 70 years in operation, had warned that it would end production as the socialist government was refusing … Continue reading
The Creation of a single capital market of the BRICS grouping of emerging market nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — is possible in the next five years, Sergei Shvetsov, First Deputy Chairman of Russia’s central bank told Russia’s TASS news agency during his visit to China. “We understand that it is better to use … Continue reading
China, the world’s largest gold consumer, launched on Tuesday a gold benchmark denominated in Yuan and plans to exert a stronger influence in the global market by better controlling the prices. It will also serve to increase the international credibility of its currency. The Shanghai Gold Exchange – the Chinese precious metals operator – has … Continue reading
The Central Banks of Russia and China are looking to dominate gold trade with the creation of a joint platform that would unite gold trading by the world’s two biggest gold buying countries. “BRICS countries are large economies with large reserves of gold and an impressive volume of production and consumption of this precious metal. In China, the gold … Continue reading
Saudi Arabia has warned the Obama administration and members of Congress that it will liquidate hundreds of billions of dollars’ in U.S. assets should Congress pass a bill that would hold the Saudi government responsible for any role in the September 11, 2001 (9/11), terrorist attacks, according to a bombshell report from The New York Times (NYT). The bill … Continue reading
Venezuela’s crisis seems to deepen each passing day while its economy crumbles. The crisis is on two fronts: economical and political. Both crises combined and compounded by a plunge in oil prices have created a “perfect storm” that has engulfed the South American nation. Venezuela relies heavily on oil, which accounts for 95 percent of foreign currency earnings as its economy … Continue reading
More troubles may lie ahead for Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, as global equity index provider MSCI is considering dropping the nation from its benchmark Frontier Markets Index, which could put $500 million of equity investment under threat. On Thursday MSCI announced that it’s considering removing the country from its Frontier Markets Index, blaming currency restrictions imposed by … Continue reading