Thailand’s long-delayed elections to be held on March 24 have stirred concern among some analysts that we will see a fresh round of protests and social unrest. Investors should look past any temporary disruption. Whatever the result, Thai leaders will move forward with a landmark project that will support growth in what has been one of the most economically stable ...

US politicians, who, like Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, want to break up the big technology companies are treading onto a path that has long drawn their European colleagues. Europe has better opportunities and more compelling reasons to dismember Amazon, Facebook and Google. Yet it hasn’t done so, despite years of discussion. There are at least three reasons the EU is ...

The second annual report on the Women in Finance Charter, an initiative sponsored by UK Treasury to redress gender imbalance in the management ranks of financial firms, just landed. The good news is that there has been an improvement in the past year. The bad news is there’s still a long, long way to go before the industry meets even ...

In 2015, the United Nations set 17 sustainable development goals, laudable aims to help humanity to pursue a better future that included reducing inequality, eliminating extreme poverty and addressing climate change. The UN hoped to achieve all of them by 2030. In some areas, we’ve made impressive progress: Now only 1 in 25 children globally dies by the age of ...

Bloomberg Volatility is probably lower than it should be, but that doesn’t mean investors should turn defensive, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. Expectations of the price movement across assets appear to be underestimated by about as much as they were in 2013 before the taper tantrum and in 2014 before the Federal Reserve began tightening, JPMorgan strategists led by ...

Bloomberg That relief investors felt in January when the Federal Reserve took its dovish pivot is showing signs of turning into something bigger. A feeling approaching bliss was on display this week when ahead of Wednesday’s rate decision the S&P 500 staged its biggest rally of the year and more money flowed into equity funds than any time in 12 ...

Bloomberg The Bank of Italy asked ING Groep NV to avoid any business with new clients in the country after it fell short in recent anti-money laundering checks, adding to the Dutch lender’s compliance woes. The central bank identified shortcomings in the Amsterdam-based bank’s processes during a four-month on-site inspection in Italy that ended in January, according to a statement. ...

Bloomberg The European Central Bank’s latest round of stimulus is being accompanied by renewed calls on governments to step up their game in nurturing the economy. It’s an acknowledgment by President Mario Draghi and fellow policy makers that they’ll do what they can — but their options are sorely depleted if the current economic weakness worsens. That puts the focus ...

Bloomberg Deutsche Bank AG said it’s in talks with Commerzbank AG as part of a review of its strategic options, moving closer to creating a national champion lender as both banks struggle to grow. The lender confirmed it is “engaging” in talks with Commerzbank as it seeks to boost growth and profitability. Bloomberg first reported that the banks’ boards were ...

Bloomberg The Bank of Japan (BOJ) left its monetary stimulus program unchanged as it downgraded its assessment of exports, factory output and overseas economies. The BOJ’s decision to maintain its policy interest rates and asset purchases was predicted by all 46 experts surveyed by Bloomberg. Its gloomier take on the economy was also largely expected after a raft of weak ...