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Articles on Financial markets

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We need entrepreneurs with vision beyond the current reporting period. www.shutterstock.com

Long-term growth is the victim of short-term buyback schemes

When Lord John Maynard Keynes wrote “In the long run we are all dead”, he was not just expressing his frustration at mainstream economists who blindly believed in self-adjusting markets. I am convinced…
He’s having a laugh: Jack Ma with the NYSE traders. Justin Lane/EPA

Alibaba feeding frenzy shows how little we have learnt

Greed is still good. Wall Street has just witnessed its largest ever stock market launch as Chinese internet giant Alibaba raised some $25 billion and watched its share price rise by 35% on its first day’s…
Fight or flight? Bankers likely to opt for the second. BK and EP

Fear of risk linked to high stress hormone in bankers

In times of financial uncertainty and crisis, high stress reactions lead to traders becoming more risk averse, which drives pessimism and further falls in finance, according to a new study. This is because…
Not at the races. Lefteris Pitarakis/AP

France’s economic sickness might defy a cure

The news from France has not been good over the last few years. Poor economic growth, stubbornly high unemployment, plant closures on the rise, strikes (not new, really), voter disenfranchisement and the…
ASIC Chairman Greg Medcraft. Dan Peled/AAP

ASIC underwhelms with call for greater powers

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has called for more powers, including a broadening of the definition of “whistleblower”, in a paper defending its role as the corporate watchdog. ASIC’s…
Are high-frequency traders friends or foes of the financial market? AAP

Too fast, too furious? Making sense of high-frequency trading

As the sixth iteration of The Fast and the Furious franchise rolls out in cinemas, a greater speed demon lurks in our financial markets: high-frequency traders (HFTs). While the good guys in Fast 6 are…
Will ‘History of Financial Crises’ education really do anything to curb risk taking behaviour? shutterstock

Financial crises 101 could provide lessons for all

The chairman of the Australian government’s Financial Sector Advisory Council, Paul Binsted, believes that bankers who have experienced financial crises are more cautious about taking risks. However, short…
Are short sellers heroes or villains of financial markets? Image from www.shutterstock.com

Explainer: what is short selling?

Short sellers are often portrayed by the media to be the villains of the financial markets. They are usually presented as evil traders that drive down the prices of good companies. However, the academic…
Activists protest against Glencore by placing bottles of polluted water at its Swiss offices. AAP

The most powerful companies you’ve never heard of: Glencore

Welcome to “The most powerful companies you’ve never heard of” – an ongoing series from The Conversation that sheds light on big companies with low profiles. Today, The University of Western Australia’s…
World Bank chief Robert Zoellick and IMF head Christine Lagarde have doubts about global growth. AAP

Spooking the markets: should financial leaders keep quiet during crises?

Global markets have tumbled again this week, following the downgrading of Italy’s debt rating and a series of negative comments from leaders of the world’s financial institutions. International Monetary…
The median expected inflation rate dropped this month compared to July, most likely driven by the economic turmoil in the US and Europe, as well as the domestic stock market. Flickr/Krug6

Consumers see inflation staying within RBA target

Consumers have softened their expectations on price rises, with a new survey showing that more people this month think inflation will stay within the Reserve Bank’s target compared to a similar survey…

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