- A + A SHANGHAI (June 25): China's securities regulator proposed rules to regulate private pension investment via mutual funds, setting the criteria for qualified products and sales agents under a scheme that will channel fresh savings into the country's capital markets. The draft rules, published by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) late on Friday (June 24), came after Beijing in April launched a milestone private pension scheme to tackle challenges of an ageing population. Under the scheme, eligible Chinese citizens can buy mutual funds, savings deposits and insurance products via their own individual pension accounts, potentially boosting a pension market that has lured foreign asset managers including Fidelity International and BlackRock. The proposed rules "have set a relatively high bar for products and institutions, and are designed to ensure safety of pension fund investment and protect investors' interest", the CSRC said in a statement on … [Read more...] about China proposes rules to regulate private pension investment via mutual funds
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Amid startup layoffs, larger job market remains buoyant across sectors
The larger job market in India remains buoyant across sectors – even amid layoffs by a clutch of startups in recent months – and employees will generally continue to call the shots through FY23. “We see FY23 to remain an employees’ market with some amount of adjustments. Employees still have the bargaining power, opportunities and enjoy the benefit of demand,” said RP Yadav, chairman of Genius Consultants, a staffing and human resource company. While information technology and IT-enabled services will continue recruiting, e-commerce, logistics and export-oriented sectors including textiles and leather goods are doing well in terms of hiring. The consumer goods sector will increasingly do well, as will the retail and hospitality segment, according to staffing firms, HR experts and talent managers. The near-normal level of economic activity in retail and hospitality is indicative of a revival in these sectors after a prolonged phase of weakness due to the pandemic and offers a … [Read more...] about Amid startup layoffs, larger job market remains buoyant across sectors
Forget a four-day workweek, bank employees in India want a five-day week
State Bank Of India As the world debates the pros and cons of adopting a four-day workweek, hundreds of thousands of bank employees in India are demanding a five-day system. At least nine unions of bank employees will go on a day’s strike on June 27 to press their demand. They want time off every Saturday and Sunday, saying the technology at the disposal of banks would allow a smooth transitioning to a five-day workweek. “We have been talking to all stakeholders for the last seven years. But things have not moved as desired. A five-day work week is a basic demand from us and it’s for the betterment of health, and work-life balance of bank employees,” C.H. Venkatachalam, general secretary of the All Indian Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), told Moneycontrol. “Nearly 900,000 bank employees will shun work and protest on 27 June to drive this message and a few other demand points,” Venkatachalam said. Bank employees in India are still working six days a week when other … [Read more...] about Forget a four-day workweek, bank employees in India want a five-day week
Bitcoin Bank Custodia Sues Federal Reserve, Demanding Decision On Master Account
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Bitcoin bank Custodia today sued the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City charging they have “unlawfully” delayed for 19 months acting on its application for a master account with the Federal Reserve. The bank, chartered in Wyoming under a crypto-friendly statute passed in 2019 allowing for “special purpose depository institutions,’’ says the master account would reduce its costs and is “vital” to its core mission of providing a bridge between digital assets and the U.S. dollar system. According to the suit, the Federal Reserve has a legal obligation to act within a year and states on its own paperwork that it ordinarily takes just five to seven days to act on a master account application. Custodia’s suit alleges the Kansas City Fed’s processing of its application was moving along until the Spring of 2021, when the main Federal Reserve got involved. The suit seeks to force the … [Read more...] about Bitcoin Bank Custodia Sues Federal Reserve, Demanding Decision On Master Account
China’s central bank renminbi liquidity arrangement includes Malaysia
SHANGHAI: China's central bank (pic) said on Saturday it had signed an agreement with the Bank for International Settlements to establish a Renminbi Liquidity Arrangement (RMBLA) that will provide support to participating central banks in times of market fluctuations. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) said the arrangement's first participants, in addition to the PBOC, would include the Central Bank of Malaysia (Bank Negara), Bank Indonesia, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Central Bank of Chile. Each participant will contribute a minimum of 15 billion yuan ($2.2 billion) or the U.S. dollar equivalent, it said. The BIS said in a separate statement that the funds could be contributed either in yuan or U.S. dollars, and that they would be placed with the BIS, creating a reserve pool. ($1 = 6.6878 Chinese yuan renminbi) - Reuters … [Read more...] about China’s central bank renminbi liquidity arrangement includes Malaysia
Thai inflation seen back to target in Q2 2023, says central bank; economy expected to grow by 3% in 2022
BANGKOK, June 25 (Reuters): Thailand's inflation will remain elevated this year but should fall back into the central bank's target range of 1-3% in the second quarter of next year, a bank official had announced, South-East Asia's second-largest economy is expected to return to its pre-pandemic level late this year or early next year, Sakkapop Panyanukul, a senior director at the Bank of Thailand, told a trade seminar. The BOT predicts headline inflation of 6.2% this year and 2.5% next year. Thailand's economy is expected to grow by 3% this year and 3.7% next year, driven by exports, increased domestic demand and a recovery in tourism, the state planning agency had said earlier. Exports, a key driver of growth, still had momentum despite the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the global economy, Danucha Pichayanan, head of the National Economic and Social Development Council, told a business seminar. "The Russia-Ukraine issue is a risk but it's also an opportunity, … [Read more...] about Thai inflation seen back to target in Q2 2023, says central bank; economy expected to grow by 3% in 2022
Funding A Charitable Remainder Trust With Artwork
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report for 2022 reports that the global art market saw pandemic recovery with robust sales of art and antiques by dealers and auction houses, reaching an estimated US$65.1 billion, up 29% from 2020 (US$50.1 billion), and exceeding pre-pandemic 2019 values. Public auction sales of fine and decorative arts and antiques rose by 47% compared to 2020, reaching an estimated US$26.3 billion. Private sales in the auction sector also saw a steady uptick of 32%, reaching US$4.1 billion, of which Sotheby’s and Christie’s auction houses make up US$3.0 billion alone. As your stock portfolio has been hammered by the recent Bear Market and your artwork has appreciated, you may want to sell your Artwork and reinvest into investments, but with the growth of the value of your artwork comes the tax cost of all of that appreciation. The tax rate on capital gains on artwork is 28%, plus the 3.8% Net … [Read more...] about Funding A Charitable Remainder Trust With Artwork
EXCLUSIVE: Exposed Richard Cordray Texts Contain Worrying CFPB-Lobbyist Connections
Text messages obtained via Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) show director Richard Cordray’s communications with Clinton donor and lobbyist Eileen Mancera. The Daily Caller exclusively broke news of Richard Cordray’s likely illegal use of a private device for communications with other CFPB staffers last month, concealing his messages from FOIA requests. Documents exclusively obtained by TheDC show that Cordray used a private device for communications and seemingly did not back them up or copy an official device, thus attempting to conceal them from public view. Now, it seems Cordray was attempting to use a private device to conceal his messages–to conceal communications with high-level lobbyists and donors. An analysis of Cordray’s text messages with other CFPB staffers, obtained via a FOIA request, show him communicating with then-CFPB staffer Rohit Chopra, directing him to talk to Eileen Mancera. Chopra is also a … [Read more...] about EXCLUSIVE: Exposed Richard Cordray Texts Contain Worrying CFPB-Lobbyist Connections
Salil Parekh’s salary is merely a reflection of Infosys’ performance
Infy's market cap after peaking at $110 billion in January is around $79 billion now, more than double what it was when Salil Parekh took charge. By approving a mega-compensation package for Salil Parekh, its CEO for the last four-and-a-half years, Infosys isn’t just rewarding his performance but also correcting a historical wrong. In 2017, Parekh was brought in after the messy exit of previous CEO Vishal Sikka. Through all the sparks that flew in the months leading up to the eventual transition, it was Sikka’s high salary that was the bone of contention. The fact is, notwithstanding co-founder NR Narayana Murthy’s disagreements with Sikka over the issue, the company’s investors clearly were impressed with his performance, enough for its share price to rise 26 percent in the three years that he was at the helm. Nor was this part of a secular rise in IT stocks. During that period, Infosys was the outperformer in the stock market with shares of the other four Indian IT companies … [Read more...] about Salil Parekh’s salary is merely a reflection of Infosys’ performance
MC Pro Weekender | A new narrative
(Representative image: Reuters) Dear Reader, A whiff of change wafted through the markets this week. The focus shifted from worrying over inflation to concerns about growth. The advance Purchasing Managers Indices (PMIs) for the current month for the US and the Eurozone showed slowing growth, but while they indicated inflation was cooling in the US, it continued to rise relentlessly in the Eurozone. They also reflected stalling demand and falling business confidence. The New York Fed’s economic model predicted an 80 percent chance of a hard landing for the US. UK consumer confidence hit a record low. In China, housing starts and property transactions reached extreme lows. The worries over an imminent recession in the US, the UK and the Eurozone sent commodity prices sharply lower. Copper prices have moved down dramatically. My colleague Ravi Ananthanarayanan wrote about the dark clouds hovering over steel . Crude oil prices too fell. That dissipated some of the … [Read more...] about MC Pro Weekender | A new narrative