Category Archives: Investment

Investment

TOMEX Announces the Launch of Long-Term Bond Futures for Clients

Tokyo Mercantile Exchange, one of the industry’s biggest and most diverse futures marketplace recently announced the launch of long-term futures beginning this year. These contracts will be part of and subject to the regulations and laws of the industry authorities. It will also be approved pending the board’s ruling.

“The long-term futures has now become part of TOMEX’s product listing as part of our response to overwhelming customer demands and requests for a contract that is similar to this one that we have launched,” said Tokubey Ito, TOMEX Director and Vice President of Consumer Affairs. “This new contract will complement our remaining products and allow us to grow the range of services as well as trading opportunities for industry participants and our clientele.”

Derivatives that are redeemable for the new long-term futures contracts will consist of cash bonds with at least 25 years of remaining term to maturity. By comparing them, redeemable derivatives for the existing bonds contract are bonds with remaining terms to maturity of 15 years or more. There is a rather vast difference between the two that clients will be able to choose depending on what they prefer. The recent policy shift towards greater issuance of long-term bonds has enabled Tokyo Mercantile Exchange to launch this contract targeted at this important part of the yield curve.

In all other aspects the specifications for the bond futures have seen close resemblance with those that are in the existing treasury bond contract. They are similar in terms of their value, low tick size, contract critical dates, and coupon. Initially, TOMEX will list three delivery months in the bond futures, beginning with mid 2012. There will be no notable differences or adjustments to the currently listed treasury bond futures contract specifications and requirements. Additional information about futures, other trading products and TOMEX’s other interests can be found at www.tomex.jp.

Via EPR Network
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Emeraldstone Investments Has Completed Purchase Of Colombian Emerald Mining Enterprise

The Cyprus based Emeraldstone Investments Limited has bought a company in Colombia that operates with emerald mining. The merger deal that has been preparing for several months was finally finished.

The contract that is considered to become the new step for Emeraldstone Investments Limited and draw the company to a new level of business that would include global market of precious stones.

The Colombian enterprise CEO, Leo Gransesa comments on the situation: “This deal was a great success for both companies. Our enterprise has been preparing for the merge before. However, the proposition made by Emeraldstone Investments Limited was better than we could ever hope. I’m glad that the business is in the right hands now. One of the most important results of this deal was the fact that Emeraldstone is going to keep the job for all our employees”.

Marvin Tillman, the Head of Emeraldstone Investments board also comments on the deal: “All primary conditions of the contract were followed. We have purchased the majority stake which makes 75% of the total number of shares. The enterprise keeps its management and working staff though the top management would be transferred from the head office of Emeraldstone”.

As a result this turned out to be one of the deals that makes both parties benefit from it tremendously. The representatives of both US and Colombia sides celebrate the biggest deal of the year in the field of gemstone investment.

Regarding this fact Emeraldstone is going to introduce new investment plans for its most regular investors and special offer for brand-new clients. New introductions are to be presented within a month from the date of signing the contract and should make a great contribution to world economy recovering.

Via EPR Network
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Standard Life Teams Up With Legacy Asset Systems To Support Asset Migration To Standard Life Wrap

Standard Life, a market leading platform provider, has teamed up with Legacy Asset Systems to support advisers migrating assets to the Standard Life Wrap. With the agreement, preferential terms will be offered to Standard Life Wrap firms signing up to the services offered by Legacy Asset Systems. Legacy Asset Systems offer two services: the Discovery Report, a ‘smart search’ of existing client data, and the Asset Migration Service, a combination of systems and services to successfully complete an asset migration project.

The benefits of the Legacy Asset Systems offering are:
– A cost effective approach and opportunity for adviser firms to create an additional profit centre
– Develops a fully compliant and automated end to end audit trail
– Reduces capacity constraints and frees resource to focus on added value services
– Delivers a robust and scalable process, systems and controls
– Supports a consolidation approach by enabling review of whole portfolio and individual products
– Develops an income stream on assets which have been generating little or no income

Chris Divito, Head of Platform Distribution at Standard Life, said: “Advisers have been telling us that analysing and migrating clients legacy assets is a real challenge, particularly from a compliance and capacity point of view. So we have teamed up with Legacy Asset Systems to provide a solution. They have provided a cost effective solution which not only ‘makes it happen’, but also reduces costs and generates income for the business.”

Kevin Jow, Director at Russell Ulyatt has recently used Legacy Asset Systems to help migrate client business to the Standard Life Wrap. He said: “We were keen to start tackling the next segment of our client bank and we’re focused on completing the collation and analysis of client information as cost effectively as possible. Legacy Asset Systems provided the ideal solution in that they took on all of the manual effort of contacting providers, provided accurate cost comparisons and a complete audit trail. In addition to that, the Discovery Report enabled us to take a very detailed view of our client bank and identified some great opportunities. We’ve been able to significantly increase our speed of client transfer and subsequent income streams.

“Using Legacy Asset Systems has freed up so much of our time, speeded up the whole process and just let me get on with the day job – spending more time with my clients.”

Via EPR Network
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Saxo Bank And ICAP Shipping Involved In World’s First Electronic Container Freight Swap Settled In USD

Saxo Bank, the trading and investment specialist, and ICAP Shipping, the shipping arm of ICAP plc, announced on Thursday that they were involved in the execution of the world’s first electronic, voice-assisted trade of a container freight swap agreement settled in US dollars.

The counterparties to the trade were Saxo Bank in Denmark as the buyer and a Netherlands-based trading house as the seller. ICAP Shipping was the broker of the trade. The container freight swap agreement was executed on ICAP’s Webtrader platform, with manual input from ICAP Shipping brokers and cleared by LCH.Clearnet.

The trade was executed by rugby star Lawrence Dallaglio during ICAP’s 19th annual Charity Day. On ICAP Charity, all ICAP revenues are donated to a selection of 200 charities and celebrity patrons are invited to help close deals. Mr. Dallaglio attended ICAP Charity Day in support of Cancer Research and Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Container freight swap agreements lock in the freight exposure for standard containers transported from Asia to Europe, Mediterranean countries and the United States. Cash flow for this sort of freight exposure has been unpredictable for retailers, importers and logistic companies in the past and the concept of pricing container freight against indices and using swap agreements to manage the risk has attracted many industry participants over the last year. Screen execution with the added surety of voice broker assistance was a key requirement of customers.

Henry Liddell, CEO ICAP Shipping said: “The execution of the world’s first electronic container freight swap agreement is an important milestone in the on-going development of the container swaps market. This youngest segment in the shipping industry has seen a rapid growth over the last decade and will become an even more important risk management tool in the current economic environment. Container swaps are a hedging tool for the container industry to manage the price volatility of the physical market.”

Johan Gade, Freight & OTC Derivatives, Saxo Bank said: “We fully support electronic freight derivatives trading and believe that going forward container swaps will be a valuable addition to the electronic dry bulk and tanker freight derivatives offering we are about to launch.”

Via EPR Network
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Saxo Bank Comments On Eurozone Sitation Ahead Of EU Leaders Summit

Saxo Bank has released a new macro view video with Steen Jakobsen, Chief Economist, commenting on the situation for the Eurozone ahead of the EU leaders’ summit and in light of the major global central banks’ intervention to boost liquidity. The concerted central bank action has effectively resulted in the US printing money for Europe seeing as the European Central Bank will not, says Steen, adding that it’s like flying in a jet with one engine only – hardly a safe scenario.

The surprising joint intervention by the world’s largest central banks to make it cheaper for financial institutions outside America to borrow dollars has had a positive effect on risk sentiment, but is not expected to last long. For an extended rally or to just sustain gains something more needs to be put on the table, like better fundamentals, plus structural changes and real commitments to toing the line in Eurozone nations, says Steen. The reason being that the severe solvency issues in Europe and deep rooted growth problems are still very much plaguing outlooks.

One could argue that with the central banks having joined forces the pressure is now more so on European politicians to implement lasting austerity and commit to cleaning up their backyards and follow standard rules. The question is whether EU leaders will be able to set things straight once and for all when they meet for the seventeenth time to solve the issues. Steen remains doubtful.

In the meantime, the central bank action has resulted in the cost of emergency dollar funding being cheaper for European banks than US banks. Therefore there is increased expectation now that the Federal Reserve will lower its discount rate by at least 25 basis points before the new dollar swap rate kicks in on December 5. A deeper cut is also possible, he says but that would mean the Federal Reserve is virtually letting go and committing to printing money forever.

Steen also commented on the global macro situation, in particular China, following the Reserve Requirement Ratio cut amid a slowing growth scenario and in terms of timing in a global context. Meanwhile US data continues to please for now at least but he warns that the better numbers may be petering out.

The full video can be viewed at http://www.tradingfloor.com/blogs/macro-ad-hoc/global-central-bank-action-puts-heat-on-eu-summit-to-deliver-886705704.

Via EPR Network
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Saxo Bank Releases New Asia Focus Video

Saxo Bank, the online trading specialist, has released a new Asia Focus Video which features Andrew Robinson, Forex Analyst for Saxo Capital Markets in Singapore, analysing the People’s Bank of China’s decision to lower its reserve requirement ratio, whether it’s a taste of more cuts to come and how much it is a clear signal that the world’s second-largest economy is really slowing after all.

The unexpected People’s Bank of China’s announcement that it will lower its reserve requirement ratio on December 5, representing the first cut in three years, initially surprised markets and started a risk-on sentiment, particularly in equities and incited market hunger for more monetary easing.

As such, reserve requirement ratio cuts rarely come in isolation and more are likely soon, probably as early as next month, confirmed Andrew Robinson, FX Analyst, Saxo Capital Markets. He said the timing of this easing has to do with the flow of data of late which has pointed to a slowing in the economy and that it was acknowledgement of this situation. Furthermore it pre-empted the latest purchasing manager index data which confirmed a contraction scenario for the economy.

Commenting on the recent data from China, Andrew said: “Last month’s data was looking particularly soft and the expectations for this month are not particularly encouraging. If we look at the data that’s been coming out recently, it’s certainly suggesting that the market is slowing down.

“I think this is a pre-emptive move by the PBOC and they’re looking to continue it and build the economy.”

The focus in the coming days will now shift to inflation data with more declines in the consumer price index and an even greater drop in the purchasing prices index seen. Combined, this confirmation of a softening in price pressure effectively removes a hurdle the People’s Bank of China was facing in terms of the freedom to continue to ease monetary policy.

The video can be viewed at http://www.tradingfloor.com/blogs/macro-ad-hoc/more-chinese-easing-as-price-pressure-abates-removing-pboc-hurdle-1126984016, with many other forex videos available on the Saxo Bank site.

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Prudential Reveals Brits Hiding £4.6 Billion From Their Partners In Secret Saving Stashes

Prudential has revealed that fifteen per cent of Britons over the age of 40 and living with their partner choose to keep some or all of their savings hidden from their other halves.

The survey, which examines couples’ attitudes to financial planning, was conducted among savers over the age of 40 and living with a partner. It found that as many as 4.5 million* Britons could be concealing savings or investments worth an average of£1,037 from their spouse or partner – a secret stash of approximately £4.6 billion.

One in ten (9 per cent) of those choosing to keep their funds hidden do so because they don’t trust their other half’s financial decision making, while a further quarter (23 per cent) admit that this is a security measure, in case they should split up with their partner.

Women are more likely to keep their funds hidden from their partner, with 18 per cent admitting to hiding savings averaging £1,002. This compares with 12 per cent of men, who conceal an average fund of £1,072.

A prudent two in five (42 per cent) secret savers plan to use the money to supplement their retirement income – even though 20 per cent of those surveyed admit to never having discussed financial planning for retirement with their spouse or partner.

Vince Smith-Hughes, head of business development at Prudential, said: “By harbouring secret stashes of money, many couples are failing to plan sufficiently for their joint retirement. While it is understandable that some people in relationships want to be able to spend their own money, it is important for couples to have regular and open discussions about financial planning for the sake of maximising their retirement incomes. Only then can they decide how to make the best possible joint provision for the future.

“Consulting a financial adviser together is an important part of this on-going dialogue and can help couples to secure the income and lifestyle they expect in retirement.”

Prudential’s survey also found that nearly a fifth (17 per cent) of Britons feel uncomfortable about discussing financial matters with their partner. While two thirds (67 per cent) of couples say they have not received professional financial advice together in the past five years, one in 10 people claim that either they or their partner has independently visited an adviser within the past five years.

Via EPR Network
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Saxo Bank Enables Online Islamic Trading

Saxo Bank A/S, the online trading and investment specialist, has enabled its clients to identify and trade Islamic compliant stocks and ETFs on more than 25 exchanges worldwide. The Bank selected IdealRatings Inc., a leading global Islamic compliant fund management service provider, as the most reliable source for identifying Islamic compliant instruments globally.

The compliance reasoning is based on commonly accepted and transparent Islamic guidelines defined by IdealRatings and Shariah Review Bureau with operations in Jeddah, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and Manama. More than 12,000 stocks and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are screened and researched on a monthly basis by IdealRatings.

Jakob Beck Thomsen, Regional head of Middle East and CEO Saxo Bank (Dubai) Ltd., said: “Islamic finance is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world today and we are excited to enable our clients to identify and trade Islamic compliant stocks online. IdealRatings is the industry’s most trusted brand for identifying and researching Islamic compliant stocks and we are confident in offering their data to our clients.”

Mohamed Donia, CEO of IdealRatings, added: “Saxo Bank A/S has always been an innovator and market leader in providing its clients with quality financial services and we are delighted to partner with them to provide this reliable information for their discerning investors.”

Via EPR Network
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The Choice Of His Broker Binary Options

The choice of his broker of binary options can sometimes be very complex, especially if we begin and if we do not still know the world of the on-line investment. The strategie-binaires.com site helps you to make the best choice.

Before beginning to trade by means of the binary options, it will be necessary for you to pass by an indispensable stage, the choice of your broker or on-line broker. Now, the brokers proposing this type of investment being more and more numerous on internet, the choice can sometimes turn out complicated, especially when we begin. It is then to help you to make the best possible choice that the strategy-options.com site decided to help you by explaining to you what are elements important to compare between each of the offers. Know besides that strategy-options.com also realized a comparative degree of the main brokers with for each of them precise explanations regarding their advantages and inconveniences.

In the meantime, here are some rules simple to apply during the choice of your partner broker of binary options:

The general characteristics of the brokers of binary options:

Before interesting us in the technical details, it is essential to have a particular attention on the general characteristics proposed by the broker whom you will choose.

According to your budget, you will also have to look at the conditions of deposits and at the minimum amount asked for each of the proposed options. Useless indeed to ruin you in a single investment there where other brokers will ask you for a less important amount of transaction. Once this detected information, you can also take into account offers of welcome proposed by the quasi-totality of the on-line brokers. These offers can take various forms (bonus of deposit, refund of the losses) and asks an in-depth study to determine which one is the most interesting. For that purpose, consult the present general conditions on the concerned sites. Do not also forget to verify expenses connected to the cash withdrawal and the extensions announced in this direction.

Finally, to guarantee you a legal resort in case of dispute, think of choosing only the brokers being approved by the European authorities in on-line investment and in brokerage.

The technical characteristics to be verified:

Once the general characteristics were studied and the best offers were brought out of the lot, you can proceed to a study of the technical constituents of each of the brokers. For that purpose, you have to know the main platforms of trading proposed on the market or inquire with the broker when this one developed only the technical solution. Among platforms the most spread on the market, we find very qualitative Metatrader who offers possibilities of evolution and very interesting programming for little that we are able of establishing complex strategies.

In every case, opt even there for a platform completely translated or developed in English to guarantee you an optimal use of each of the given tools.

Concerning these tools, their number and their quality also varies from a platform to the other one. To know which one of these platforms will offer you the services which you really need, think of determining in advance a list of indicators which seem to you essential in good investments. Useless indeed to block you of superfluous tools which will finally return your transactions less intuitive and more complex, especially if you are novices in trading. Before choosing a broker of binary options, think of testing systematically their platform thanks to the accounts of demonstration.

To know the main brokers of the market and their advantages and inconveniences, consult our evaluations on www.strategy-options.com.

Via EPR Network
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Vebnet Reveals Lack Of Appreciation Of The Benefits Package Is A Major Concern For Employers

Vebnet has revealed that for the third year running, over half of HR directors and rewards chiefs (56%) say lack of employee understanding or appreciation of benefits is their number one concern, yet the potential for better communication and greater financial education is still to be exploited by many.

This is one of the main conclusions to be drawn from the Annual HR Reward Survey*, conducted in partnership with employee benefits and solutions provider Vebnet and leading long term savings and investment company Standard Life.

Other findings of the annual survey were:
– Less than a third (31%) of employers say they conduct frequent employee research to help them understand their employee’s views and concerns around rewards and benefits.
– Just over a third (34%) of employers confirm their reward and benefit communications are personalised for each employee.
– Over half of employers (52%) don’t currently offer their employees any financial education and have no plans to do so.

Richard Morgan, director of consultancy at Vebnet, commented: “Many people are seeing an erosion of their income in real terms, thanks to pay freezes and inflation. So a drive for greater employee understanding and engagement has never been timelier. Benefits are typically worth 20-25% of salary and demonstrating this is an important message that is likely to be very well received in the current environment. More than ever, employees are likely to want to gain a much better understanding of how to plan for the future and to be extremely receptive to support in this area.

“But it appears that many employers are deferring addressing this issue. Clearly HR directors and benefit chiefs have many things to contend with just now, such as headcount reductions and budgets being squeezed. But they also need to tackle the issue of engagement and understanding head on. I believe the spotlight is about to turn towards engagement and that financial education is set to become as important as “wellbeing” in the workplace.

Ann Flynn, Head of Corporate Marketing at Standard Life added: “There is no doubt that the right communication is vital when it comes to employee engagement and with the introduction of auto-enrolment it can only gain in importance. We’ve already carried out additional research into auto-enrolment, which shows that when people are presented with the right information in the right way, they engage more and are likely to understand the value of their company pension scheme and stay opted in. That’s why Standard Life and Vebnet are working closely with employers to ensure the right communications are used to help drive engagement so that employees have a full appreciation of the benefits their employers are providing.”

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Saxo Bank Receives Best Active Trading Tools Award At Shares Awards

Saxo Bank, online trading and investment specialist, has won the award for ‘Best Active Trading Tools’ at the annual Shares awards in London.

The Shares awards aim to recognise those organizations providing both innovative and high quality of service to the world of retail investment. The awards provide a platform for traders and investors to voice who are the best in the business.

Henrik Dyrholm Holst, Head of Platform Management at Saxo Bank, commented on the win: “Saxo Bank is proud to have been awarded for providing the industry’s leading trading tools. Saxo Bank is renowned for our online forex trading but SaxoTrader is a multi-product trading platform offering clients a wide range of opportunities to trade the world’s capital markets, from FX Options and Futures to CFDs on stocks, indices and commodities as well as popular investment products such as Stocks, Bonds and ETFs. We have continuously focus on making the trading experience for all types of traders as positive and intuitive as possible, and clearly guide users through the broad range of features on the platform. In 2011 we have also upgraded the platform with winners/losers stock in intraday real-time across all 23 stock exchanges covered by Saxo Bank. In addition, we continue our investment in optimizing and adding new trading tools and are happy to announce the imminent launch of our cutting edge trading apps for both Android and iPhone.”

Saxo Bank’s trading platforms have defined the company’s success in the online trading space for over a decade. Since introducing the SaxoTrader in 1998, Saxo Bank has enhanced and improved its platforms to meet the evolving needs of forex traders and investors in a continuously changing industry.

Shares is the leading weekly publication for stock market professionals and private investors and as such is read weekly by thousands of analysts, fund managers, stockbrokers, company directors and private investors. The Shares’ team of expert writers is highly regarded in the City and their comment frequently influences the market’s view of individual companies and their underlying share price. The magazine’s easy-to-read style and depth of analysis has made it the indispensable weekly read for those actively investing in the UK stock market today.

A full list of awards can be found at http://www.sharesawards.co.uk/awards/.

Via EPR Network
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Saxo Bank Releases New Video Commenting On Eurozone Crisis

Saxo Bank has released a macro view video featuring Steen Jakobsen, Chief Economist, analysing the situation for the Eurozone in light of heads rolling in the hot political seats of troubled nations, namely Greece and Italy. It goes without saying that despite the impending appointment of new heads of state the burdens in these nations are so heavy now that they can hardly be shrugged off.

Clean-up in both countries is a major task. While Greece is in the bailout phase and is undergoing a leadership change, the main focus is on Italy now which still has a chance to save itself. And it must as there is hardly a hand large enough to help the Eurozone’s third-largest economy. With the situation worsening by the hour though and the markets having clearly demonstrated a looming doomsday, with perilously high bond yield spreads, prompt action must be taken.

The problem in Italy is one of liquidity not solvency, unlike Greece, though it seems the difference hardly matters now in the eyes of investors. It is interesting to note that it only took Portugal, Greece and Ireland 14 days to ask the International Monetary Fund for help after their 10-year bond yield spread to German bunds passed 6.5 per cent, said Steen. Italy’s has been above 7 per cent for a few days now. So the pressure is definitely on Italy’s politicians in charge – whoever they might be – to activate reforms, move through austerity and create a credible plan. Until then the EURUSD is expected to remain under considerable pressure.

The full video, as well as other forex videos, can be found at video.saxobank.com.

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Friedman Global Announces James Cross Joins Research Team

Friedman Global, a leading supplier of financial services has recently announced that James Cross has joined the company’s research team. With more than a decade’s worth of experience, he will be very critical to the growth of the business as well as the continuous rise of the company.

“Friedman Global has increased revenues for the past couple of years and improvement of the organizational foundation is a testament to that rate of growth,” said Michael Stone, COO of Friedman Global. “James Cross’s passion and knowledge makes him an invaluable member of the Friedman Global team.”

James Cross will be assigned to making analysis and forecasts on trends of the economy, other than observing developments that will in turn affect the economy as well as the investors. Besides giving critical information to Friedman Global’s clients, Cross will be monitoring all the products of the company.

“One of the most important things to note as of recent is that analysis of the market has now become very important for investors,” said Mr. Cross. “There are no words to describe my excitement in joining a firm that has a global reach and a commanding presence in the industry.”

Friedman Global has hundreds of customers that are being serviced for more than millions upon millions of requests for information on an annual basis. James Cross will be joining the company in the best time possible as Friedman Global has shown a record-setting development and growth due to its new product lines. Before becoming a member of Friedman Global, James Cross was an economist. He started his career at an early age and spent more than a decade in one of the most prestigious brokerage companies in the US.

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Friedman Global Launches Commodities Index Desk

Friedman Global today launched its commodities index desk which will be working with its technologically-advanced hybrid model. Michael Stone, COO of Friedman Global and an expert on the credit subsidiaries and launching markets, is supervising the launch as well as the performance of the index desk.

Friedman Global, which has been a leading force in the commodities industry gained over hundreds of clients that is focused on credit default swaps brokering, positioning itself as one of the leading companies in the industry.

Andrew Lee, Head of Reasearch of Friedman Global states “Friedma Global is already one of the leading indication brokers in Hong Kong. The company has a proven record and we are very certain our detailed compendium experience can fill a need that our customers require.”

Michael Stone, adds, “We carefully put a watchful eye on the commodities markets and industries so we know how we can make our mark. By doing so, we can assure our clients of the quality of work we are doing and that Friedman Global is a cut above the rest.”

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Saxo Bank Releases New Asian Focus Video

Saxo Bank has released new Asian Focus video featuring Andrew Robinson, correspondent for Saxo Capital Markets, analysing the effect of the Bank of Japan’s latest yen intervention and the sustainability of further actions before year end. He also commented on the Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to cut rates, the first flow of PMI data in Asia and the noise surrounding the Chinese leader’s visit to Europe this week.

Japan’s Finance Minister Jun Azumi put his money where his mouth was with unilateral intervention to weaken the yen. This is the third intervention this year with estimates suggesting it is the largest one of the three. So far it has had the intended effect with the USDJPY holding at around the 78.0 level. History however shows that it could be a longer term struggle to keep it there as after the previous two interventions this year it took only about five days for the rate to drop back to pre-intervention levels. Concerning other action it is unlikely the Bank of Japan will instigate other measures like a trading floor for the pair, similar to the Swiss National Bank’s action, Andrew said.

The timing of the intervention ahead of the Group of 20 leaders initially took the market by surprise but in hindsight as Finance Minister Azumi had in recent weeks spoken almost daily about the problem of the strong yen it was ultimately only a matter of time before the Bank of Japan took action.

Meanwhile the Reserve Bank of Australia cut the official interest rate by 25 basis points for the first time since April 2009. Whether this is the beginning of a whole series of cuts or just a one-of is another story though and will depend largely on the development of the local economy and the degree of uncertainty globally. How effective the passing on of the cut by commercial banks to consumers will be on their spending behaviour will also remain to be seen.

Monthly Purchasing Managers Index data in the Asian region paints a mixed picture about the health of the manufacturing sectors with most attention on China and somewhat different stories being told by the official Chinese data and private sector equivalent report.

China is also drawing attention from its leader Hu Jintao’s visit to Europe during the lead up to the G-20 summit. Expectations are increasing that China will commit to supporting the European Financial Stability Facility but any announcement is hardly likely to occur before the G-20 meeting.

Further information and additional forex videos can be found at videos.saxobank.com.

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Saxo Bank Releases New Video Commenting On Eurozone Meetings And Greek Referendum

Saxo Bank has released a new macro view video featuring Steen Jakobsen, Chief Economist, Saxo Bank, taking a look at the expectations for three key meetings this week: the Federal Open Market Committee, the European Central Bank and the Group of 20 leaders. He also addresses the implications of Greece’s surprise referendum on its aid package and austerity programme.

Jakobsen commented that the G-20 meeting (November 3-4) needs to deliver actions rather than more supportive talk for the troubled Eurozone. Focus will be on the announcement of concrete financial measures of commitment via the International Monetary Fund in order to appease the prevailing uncertainty.

This uncertainty was exacerbated by Greece’s call for a referendum on its new aid package and austerity measures, thereby possibly threatening European leaders’ attempts last week to secure the Eurozone’s future.

Prior to G-20 the Federal Open Market Committee meets. Despite a spate of moderately encouraging US data of late the committee is expected to merely confirm a supportive wait and see approach and possibly only allude to a third round of Quantitative Easing.

The European Central Bank meeting, also this week, which is the first to be chaired by the new President Mario Draghi will be interesting to watch to see if he already now cuts rates and thereby reverses the apparent error of his predecessor.

Jakobsen commented that being Italian and with much focus on his troubled homeland, there is an expectation that Draghi will be even tougher on ensuring that Italy shapes up, particularly considering a disappointing bond auction last week which indicates the increasing problem Italy has in financing its debt.

The full video, as well as other forex videos, can be found at video.saxobank.com.

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Prudential Reveals Research On The Importance Of Women’s Retirement Plans

Prudential has revealed that nearly half (46 per cent) of women over the age of 40 who live with a partner have no pension of their own, according to new research into couples’ attitudes to retirement.

The extent of women’s reliance on a partner’s pension and the State is not the only shock finding from the research, which also highlights that many UK couples could be sleep-walking into retirement poverty as they have no idea what pension income they will need to live on.

More than half (56 per cent) of couples aged over 40 have not worked out how much money they will need to live on in retirement, with two in five (40 per cent) admitting to having no financial plans in place for life after work.

British couples also seem reluctant to discuss with each other the finances that will support them in later life. One in five couples (20 per cent) admit to never having discussed joint retirement financial planning, while only half of those who have already retired made a joint decision about the annuity they bought.

Vince Smith-Hughes, head of business development at Prudential, said: “Pensions may not seem like the most exciting topic for a couple in their forties to be discussing, but couples who have not put time aside to discuss their retirement income plans run the risk of spending their later lives worse off than they had expected.”

In regard to retirement planning, Smith-Hughes stressed how important it is for women to discuss their future finances with their partner, and preferably with a financial adviser too. According to Smith-Hughes, women who don’t engage in these discussions could find themselves in financial trouble, especially if they outlive their loved one.

Smith-Hughes continued: “People may feel they can’t afford to significantly boost their retirement savings in the current financial climate, but taking even the smallest of steps can have a positive impact. Joining a workplace pension scheme, considering a joint life annuity, so the income will continue after one partner dies, and topping up National Insurance contributions are all options which can increase income in retirement. These crucial issues should be discussed between couples and, in turn, with their financial advisers.”

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Standard Life Reveals Losing A Loved One Is Greatest Fear In Retirement

Standard Life has revealed that a third (32 per cent) of retired Britons declared that losing a partner, loved one or close friend is their greatest fear in retirement.

The savings and investment specialist Standard Life is using the research to encourage the public to consider their estate planning requirements, including the creation of a Will, so they can ensure their loved ones are financially secure after their death.

Standard Life is highlighting to the public they should seek professional advice as the legislation associated with passing on wealth is very complicated and the rules between married and civil partnered couples does not apply to cohabiting couples or close friends. The simplest way for individuals to ensure their estate is paid to the right people is to create a legally binding Will – previous research from Standard Life showed that as little as 48 per cent* of the people in the UK have a Will in place.

Further results from the research shows in light of the current inflationary pressures the public is facing, the rising cost of living (20 per cent) is the retired population’s country’s second worst fear in retirement and worries about getting returns on their savings and investments (11 per cent) coming in third for those surveyed.

Julie Curtis, technical manager at Standard Life, said: “Regardless of an individual’s age losing a loved one can have a serious financial impact, but this problem is accentuated in retirement. And while married and civil partner couples benefit from the spousal inheritance tax exemption and the transferable nil rate band, cohabiting couples or close friends don’t.

“The complications of dying without a Will can be devastating on others and this is made even worse when going through the heartache of personal loss. Seeking the right advice when creating a Will ensures loved ones will be financially secure and that their wealth is passed on correctly. The cost of creating one will be far less than any legal fees your family, partner or friends will incur in trying to reclaim the estate.”

The research also shows that nearly half (47 per cent) of the UK want to leave an inheritance to their children, with a tenth (11 per cent) directing it to their grandchildren.

Julie continued: “It’s understandable that parents and grandparents want to pass their wealth on to the next generations and they should ensure they have a Will in place, which reflects this. Dying without one can create a complicated and costly process, possibly causing family rifts and further grief for those left behind.”

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Standard Life Announces That Economic Climate Could Force Retirement Rethink

Standard Life, the savings and investment specialist, has published new insight that suggests that the UK could be heading towards a perfect retirement storm; one in five (21%) of 45-65 year-olds who have financial plans in place to provide for their long term future no longer feel that their financial plans will support them into the future. Six per cent in this age group who aren’t already retired don’t think they will ever be able to retire, equating to over three quarters of a million people.

Of those who have financial plans in place to provide for their long term future, 64% of 45-65s feel confident that their financial plans will support their future post retirement. Twenty-one per cent of these adults no longer feel their plans will support them into the future, with a further 10% having never felt confident. Thirty-seven per cent of 45-65s have no financial plans in place for their long-term future; yet 72% of people currently aged between 45 and 65 who aren’t retired think they will retire between 61 and 70 years old.

John Lawson, Head of Pensions Policy at Standard Life said: “The current financial crisis has brought into sharp focus the need to make and review appropriate plans. This will clearly be challenging but there are many things you can do to make your retirement years as secure as possible.”

As part of the Changing Face of Retirement research, Standard life has published a list of top tips to help people re-engage with their financial planning, which includes seeking professional advice, continually reviewing financial goals, making a clear plan, reviewing investments, considering deferment of the state pension and increasing savings. Also included in Standard Life’s top tips is to claim tax-relief, as Standard Life estimates that 300,000 people are not claiming this currently.

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Standard Life Reveals Inflation Can Reduce A Retiree’s Purchasing Power By 68%

Standard Life, the savings and investment specialist, has warned that the effects of inflation can seriously damage one’s retirement wealth. New data released today shows that a 90-year-old who retired in 1981, when petrol cost 35p a litre, would have seen the purchasing power of a £10,000-a-year level pension income fall to just £3,207 today.

John Lawson, Head of Pensions Policy at Standard Life said: “Inflation can have a huge impact on the purchasing power of your retirement income. As people are living longer, retirement income needs to go that much further, with a 60-year-old man retiring today living on average for another 26

years.

“Our research shows that 57% of people do recognise that an income keeping pace with inflation is attractive. But currently, and somewhat inevitably, the majority go for the higher starting income of a level annuity, leaving only 3% choosing an inflation linked annuity. This is perhaps understandable given that annuity rates have reached record lows and level annuities start at a higher rate than their inflation linked alternatives.

“People approaching retirement need to consider their own personal inflation rate may be higher in the future than that of the average person in the UK due to the types of products and services they will consume. After 10 years in retirement, a 60-year-old man who had purchased a RPI linked annuity with a fund of £100,000 could achieve a higher annual income than someone who had purchased a level annuity.”

An example provided by the data shows the purchasing power in today’s money of a £100,000 pension fund being used by a 60-year-old man retiring in October 2011 to purchase a level or RPI-linked annuity. Various rates of inflation are shown over a 30-year period. If inflation averaged 7% over a ten-year period, the then 70-year old man would begin to receive a higher annual retirement income than if he had purchased a level annuity.

Please note in this example the level annuity receives a higher starting income than the RPI-linked version. At year 10, with inflation at 7%, there is a crossover when the RPI-linked annuity annual income exceeds the level annuity annual income. At year 22, the total payments from the RPI-linked annuity exceed the total payments from the level annuity.

Lawson concluded: “Low inflation has persisted for the last 15 years or so, but there is no guarantee that it will continue. Rising world demand for food and fuel, without a similar increase in supply, has seen prices for the basics rocket. People retiring today need to consider that they will still need to pay for food, fuel and other essentials for a long time into the future and that these basic items are likely to cost a lot more in 10 year’s time than they do today.

“There are many options to consider at retirement which could minimise the impact of inflation on your income, so seeking financial advice is vital.”

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