Thursday, December 13, 2018

Korn Ferry: No Confidence. No Clarity.

By SIMON CONSTABLE

And we thought all the Brexit drama for the week happened Monday. That’s when UK Prime Minister Theresa May postponed a parliamentary vote on the details of finally leaving the European Union. She then jetted off to meet other European leaders to negotiate a better deal than the one she had just made.

Then Wednesday came along. May’s own party members in the House of Commons, angry at the deal May originally made, forced a vote of no confidence—an up-or-down vote on May’s leadership. May won, which means she will remain prime minister. But all that intraparty warfare did nothing to define the future of Brexit and give business leaders the one thing they need: clarity. Read more here.

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Korn Ferry: Brexit Roulette

By SIMON CONSTABLE

So much for a clarifying vote on Brexit.
In yet another jolt to the historic divorce, UK Prime Minister Theresa postponed the first Parliamentary vote this week on a proposed detailing the UK’s departure from the European Union. May wants more time to convince skeptical members of Parliament to sign on to her deal. Read more here.

Monday, December 10, 2018

Forbes: Brexit And The Frankfurt Yeti

By SIMON CONSTABLE
A Brexit-related conundrum is vexing some London-based banking chiefs, or at least it should be.
If Britain leaves the European Union without a trade deal with the bloc, then banks will have to send part of their workforce to mainland Europe. That's what these top dogs of finance tell me.
Therein lies the crux of the issue. That's because it presents the bosses with an inherent contradiction that in some ways looks beyond-hard-to-solve. Read more here.

WSJ: What Is Hyperinflation?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Triple-digit inflation has blighted some countries lately. However, the vast majority of those nations aren’t experiencing hyperinflation and most likely never will.
The difference is akin to the distinction between a bad cold and killer influenza. Read more here.


WSJ: The Reasons an ETF Succeeds or Fails

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The world is awash with exchange-traded funds, but not all succeed in appealing to investors. Some attract billions of dollars, and some barely anything.
So, what determines a fund’s success? Read more here.
Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash


Friday, December 7, 2018

Barron's: Why It’s Time to Bail Out of Deutsche Bank

By SIMON CONSTABLE

There’s not much to love about Deutsche Bank. The German banking giant is mired in legal woes, the stock is expensive, and a restructuring will dog its performance for some time. Deutsche Bank shares have the potential to fall 30% on top of already-brutal declines. “We fail to see an improvement in the underlying business,” said a recent Morningstar report. Read more here.

Friday, November 30, 2018

Barron's: A Toast to J.D. Wetherspoon

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It’s time to quaff some shares of British pub chain J.D. Wetherspoon.
The stock (ticker: JDW.UK), which recently dropped after an earnings scare, is cheap and has a persistently high return on equity. “We view the pull-back as a compelling buying opportunity,” states a recent report titled “Playing the Long Game,” from European broker Berenberg. Read more here.