Showing posts with label Expert About Securities and Investment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Expert About Securities and Investment. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Krisis Sub-Prima Sebenarnya Merupakan Kejayaan Kapitalisme

Wan Saiful Wan Jan
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Mereka yang berhaluan Kiri dan golongan sosialis mungkin beraya besar tahun ini. Apa tidaknya. Amerika Syarikat sedang menghadapi ancaman krisis ekonomi yang hebat.
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Amerika Syarikat yang dianggap sebagai lambang kemegahan kapitalisme kini berada diambang keruntuhan ekonomi.
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Maka tidak pelik jika ramai yang terpengaruh dengan tuduhan golongan Kiri dan puak sosialis bahawa ini juga lambang keruntuhan kapitalisme.
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Mereka sebenarnya tersilap.
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Sosialisme merupakan satu fahaman yang membawa kepada campurtangan kerajaan dalam pelbagai hal termasuklah dalam urusan ekonomi.
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Golongan sosialis dan mereka yang berhaluan Kiri beranggapan bahawa tidak salah untuk kerajaan menubuhkan dan menjalankan syarikat perniagaan, ataupun menjadikan syarikat korporat sebagai hak milik negara. Mereka tidak teragak-agak untuk menggunakan wang rakyat untuk menyelamatkan (bail-out) syarikat-syarikat tertentu.
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Mereka menafikan keberkesanan sistem pasaran dalam menghukum dan membuang syarikat yang melakukan kesalahan.
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Leon Louw, pengarah Yayasan Pasaran Bebas Afrika Selatan telah menulis satu artikel mengenai hal ini dan beliau menghuraikan dengan cermat latarbelakang Freddie Mac dan Fannie Mae.
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Tulisan Louw boleh membantu kita memahami situasi yang sedang berlaku. Maka saya akan memetik beberapa fakta yang beliau nyatakan.
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Fannie Mae dan Freddie Mac, dua syarikat gergasi di Amerika yang menjadi penyebab masalah yang kita hadapi sekarang, sebenarnya ditubuhkan atas dokongan kerajaan Amerika, atau dikenali sebagai 'Government Sponsored Enterprises' (GSE).
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Mereka ditubuhkan untuk membolehkan lebih ramai rakyat Amerika mendapat pinjaman perumahan. Matlamat utama kerajaan Amerika pada waktu itu ialah untuk membolehkan lebih ramai rakyat Amerika membeli rumah, termasuklah golongan berpendapatan rendah.
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Dalam rangka mencapai matlamat mereka, syarikat-syarikat ini telah mendokong kredit dan pinjaman subprima yang jauh melangkaui tahap pinjaman yang munasabah. Tetapi mereka terus disokong oleh pelabur kerana kedua-dua syarikat ini dianggap sebagai dilindungi oleh kerajaan.
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Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) ditubuhkan pada tahun 1938 oleh kerajaan Presiden Roosevelt di bawah agenda New Deal yang amat banyak dipengaruhi oleh idea-idea sosialisme.
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Fannie Mae mencipta satu 'pasaran pinjaman peringkat kedua' dengan cara membeli pakej pinjaman daripada bank secara pukal, lantas menyatukan pakej-pakej itu sebelum dijual semula kepada pelabur domestik dan antarabangsa.
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Federal Home Loan Mortgage Association (Freddie Mac) pula ditubuhkan oleh kerajaan Amerika pada tahun 1970 kononnya untuk menjadi persaingan kepada Fannie Mae. Jika digabungkan, aset kedua-dua GSE ini amat besar, iaitu 45 peratus lebih tinggi daripada aset Citicorp, bank terbesar di Amerika.
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Jumlah pinjaman yang mereka biayai melebihi USD$5 trilion. Fannie Mae sendiri sahaja membiayai pembelian 55 juta rumah, satu jumlah yang amat banyak. Kedua-dua GSE ini mendapat subsidi kerajaan bernilai USD$6.5 bilion setahun.
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Kedua-dua syarikat ini terus menikmati dokongan kerajaan. Bekas Gabernor Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan pernah menyebut bahawa "Pasaran menganggap bahawa kerajaan menjamin operasi syarikat itu".
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Vernon Smith, pemenang anugerah Nobel, pula pernah menyatakan bahawa syarikat-syarikat GSE sebenarnya merupakan syarikat yang ditanggung oleh semua pembayar cukai.
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Maka, walaupun kedua-dua syarikat ini beroperasi dalam 'sistem kapitalis' Amerika Syarikat, mereka sebenarnya menikmati faedah daripada polisi sosialis seperti subsidi dan perlindungan kerajaan.
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Malahan, mereka ditubuhkan pun atas prinsip sosialisme! Ini membolehkan mereka terus mendokong penawaran produk yang mungkin tidak dapat bertahan lama dalam sistem pasaran terbuka sebenar ? iaitu pinjaman subprima. Mereka berani mengambil risiko yang terlalu besar, dan pelabur pula terus melabur, kerana mereka dilihat sebagai dilindungi kerajaan.
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Kegagalan Freddie Mac dan Fannie Mae sebenarnya mendedahkan betapa bahayanya jika kerajaan masuk campur dalam urusan ekonomi dan perdagangan secara berlebihan.
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Apabila kerajaan menubuhkan atau mempertahankan syarikat-syarikat tertentu yang beroperasi dalam pasaran, kerajaan mencipta satu persepsi bahawa walau apa sekalipun yang dilakukan oleh syarikat-syarikat berkenaan, ia tetap selamat.
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Pelabur akan berfikiran bahawa kerajaan pasti akan menyelamatkan syarikat itu dan risiko pelaburan mereka rendah walaupun aktiviti syarikat itu berisiko tinggi.
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Maka tidak ada apa-apa yang menghalang pelabur, dan ekekutif syarikat tersebut daripada meneruskan strategi tidak bertanggungjawab termasuklah memberi pinjaman kepada mereka yang sebenarnya tidak mampu.
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Dalam pada itu, syarikat-syarikat ini memastikan agenda politik kerajaan tercapai, iaitu membolehkan rakyat membeli rumah walaupun mereka sebenarnya tidak berkebolehan untuk membayar balik pinjaman.
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Gerald Driscoll, pakar ekonomi daripada Cato Institute, mengatakan bahawa apa yang berlaku di Amerika sekarang adalah akibat daripada sistem 'kapitalisme kroni'.
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Driscoll berpandangan bahawa ahli perniagaan dan ahli politik bersekongkol dalam hal ini. Ahli-ahli politik telah mencipta syarikat gergasi menggunakan wang rakyat dan dengan jaminan perlindungan kerajaan.
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Lantas syarikat itu pula kadang kala memberi sumbangan kepada agenda politik tertentu. Jika kita mahu membandingkan dengan Malaysia, ini boleh berlaku apabila syarikat-syarikat yang didokong kerajaan membiayai atau memberi subsidi kepada agenda politik tertentu.
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Kita bernasib baik kerana sistem pasaran bebas dan kapitalisme akhirnya mendedahkan salah laku dan ketamakan syarikat-syarikat ini.
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Sistem pasaran bebas dan kapitalisme telah menghukum syarikat-syarikat yang melakukan kesalahan seperti Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae dan lain-lain lagi.
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Jika diturut sistem kapitalisme, maka syarikat-syarikat ini akan terpaksa gulung tikar. Malangnya, elemen-elemen sosialis dan ahli-ahli politik pragmatik dalam pentadbiran Amerika masih mahu melindungi Freddie Mac dan Fannie Mae, mungkin untuk mencapai faedah politik jangka pendek (pilihanraya Amerika akan berlangsung tidak lama lagi).
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Keruntuhan Fannie Mae dan Freddie Mac sebenarnya merupakan kejayaan kapitalisme dan pasaran bebas dalam mendedahkan salah laku dua syarikat bantuan kerajaan tersebut.
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Ia bukan kegagalan kapitalisme. Sebaliknya ia membuktikan keampuhan kapitalisme dan pasaran bebas dalam menghukum salah laku dan ketamakan yang keterlaluan. Jangan pula kita dikelirukan oleh puak sosialis yang cuba menangguk di air keruh.
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(Wan Saiful Wan Jan ialah Editor WauBebas.org dan Ketua Pengarah Malaysia Think Tank). - mr_

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Dipetik dari: Harakahdaily.net





Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Role of Government

Traditionally, the role of government has been to manage the economy through taxation, economic and monetary policy and ensure a fair society by the state provision of welfare and benefits to those who meet certain criteria, whilst leaving business relatively free to determine to address the challenges and opportunities that arise.
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Governments can use a variety of policies when attempting to reduce the impact of fluctuations in economic activity. Collectively, these measures are known as stabilisation policies and are categorised under the broad headings of fiscal policy and monetary policy.
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Rather than following one or other type of policy, most governments now adopt a pragmatic approach to controlling the level of economic activity through a combination of fiscal and monetary policy.
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In an increasingly integrated world, however, controlling the level of activity in an openeconomy in isolation is difficult as financial markets, rather than individual governments and centralbanks, tend to dictate economic policy.
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Impact of Globalisation
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In an era of increasing globalisation, governments have a much wider role to address than used tobe the case. The global economy is in the midst of a radical transformation, with far-reaching andfundamental changes for the pattern of economic activity.
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These changes pose challenges andopportunities for all economies and the financial services sector has a central role to play inaddressing these challenges, and will be key to increasing the flexibility and dynamism of businessand the wider economy.
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Role of Central Banks
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Central banks operate at the very centre of a nation’s financial system. They are public bodies but, increasingly, they are operating independently of government control or political interference andusually have the following responsibilities:
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• Acting as banker to the banking system by accepting deposits from, and lending to, commercialbanks.
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• Acting as banker to the government.
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• Managing the national debt.
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• Regulating the domestic banking system.
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• Acting as lender of last resort to the banking system in financial crises to prevent the systemiccollapse of the banking system.
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• Setting the official short-term rate of interest.
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• Controlling the money supply.
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• Issuing notes and coins.
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• Holding the nation’s gold and foreign currency reserves.
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• Influencing the value of a nation’s currency through activities such as intervention in the currencymarkets.
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• Providing a depositors’ protection scheme for bank deposits.





Thursday, September 25, 2008

Economic Environment

In a market economy the forces of supply and demand determine how resources are allocated. Businesses produce goods and services to meet the demand from consumers.
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The interaction of demand from consumers and supply from businesses in the market will discover the market-clearing price - the price that reflects the balance between what consumers will willingly pay for goods and services, and what suppliers will willingly accept for them.
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If there is oversupply, the price will be low and some producers will leave the market. If there is undersupply, the price will be high, attracting new producers into the market. There is not only a market for goods and services, but also for productive assets such as capital goods, eg, machinery, labour and money.
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For the labour market, it is the wage level that is effectively the ‘price’, and for the money market it is the interest rate. People compete for jobs and companies compete for customers in a market economy. Scarce resources, including skilled labour such as a football player, or a financial asset such as a share in a successful company, will have a high value.
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In a market economy, competition means that inferior football players and shares in unsuccessful companies will be much cheaper and, ultimately,competition could bring about the collapse of the unsuccessful company and the football player searching for an alternative career.

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Mixed Economies


A mixed economy combines a market economy with some element of state control. The vast majority of economies are mixed to a lesser or greater extent. Whilst most of us would agree that unsuccessful companies should be allowed to fail, we generally feel that the less able in society should be cushioned from the full force of the market economy.
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In a mixed economy, the government will provide a welfare system to support the unemployed, the in firm and the elderly, in tandem with the market-driven aspects of the economy. Governments will also spend money running key areas like defence, education, public transport, health and police services. Governments finance their public expenditure by:
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• collecting taxes directly from wage earners and companies;
• collecting indirect taxes (eg, VAT and taxes on petrol, cigarettes and alcohol); and
• raising money through borrowing in the capital markets.Civil servants, primarily working for the government to raise money and spend it, tend to be one of the largest groups in the labour market.
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Open Economies
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In an open economy there are few barriers to trade or controls over foreign exchange. Although most western governments create barriers to protect their citizens against illegal drugsand other dangers, they generally have policies to allow or encourage free trade.
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From time to time, issues will arise where one country believes another is taking unfair advantage oftrade policies and will take some form of retaliatory action, possibly including the imposition ofsanctions. When a country prevents other countries from trading freely with it, in order to preserveits domestic market, it is usually referred to as protectionism.
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The World Trade Organisation exists to promote the growth of free trade between economies. Itis, therefore, sometimes called on to arbitrate when disputes arise.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Industry Participants of Financial Services

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Derivatives Markets
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Derivatives markets trade a range of complex products based on underlying instruments, including currencies, interest rates, equities, commodities and credit risk. Derivatives based on these underlying elements are available on both the exchange-traded market and the over-the-counter market (OTC).
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Turnover on north American and European derivatives exchanges increased four-fold between 2000 and 2005. US exchanges account for over half of global turnover; the largest of the exchange-traded derivatives markets is the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Europe dominates trading in the OTC derivatives markets worldwide.
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Based on the value of the notional amounts outstanding, the OTC derivatives markets worldwide are about four times the size of stock quoted on stock exchanges. Interest rate derivatives contracts account for three-quarters of outstanding derivatives contracts, mostly through interest rate swaps.
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In terms of currencies, the interest rate derivatives market is dominated by the euro and the dollar, which have accounted for most of the growth in this market since 2001. The growth in the market came about as a reaction to the 2000 stock market crash as traders sought to hedge their position against interest rate risk.
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The UK enjoys the largest share of over-the-counter foreign exchange derivatives turnover. After the UK, the US and Japan, Singapore remains the next largest market for foreign exchange derivatives, ahead of Germany, Hong Kong, Switzerland and Australia.
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Fund Management
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Fund management is the investment management of portfolios for pension funds, insurance companies and mutual funds. Figures for 2006 show that the US and Europe dominate the investment funds market with a combined total of over US$40 trillion of funds under management.
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Japan’s net assets have remained largely flat over the past six years; as a result, Australia and Canada have overtaken it to become the third and fourth largest holders of mutual fund assets. Hong Kong has also seen strong growth in its investment fund assets on the back of Chinese economic growth and, on current trends, will soon overtake Japan.
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Other areas of fund management include private wealth management and the provision of investment management services to institutional entities such as companies, charities and local government authorities. The area also includes hedge funds, these being one of the fastest growing forms of institutional asset management.
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Insurance Markets
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Insurance markets specialise in the management of risk. In 2004, the world’s insurance market was worth US$3.2 trillion based on the value of insurance premiums written. The majority of these are life insurance premiums. The EU and the US are the largest players in the insurance market.
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Lloyd's of London is the largest insurance organisation in the world. It is said that anything can be insured on Lloyd’s, from mainstream assets such as buildings, to footballers’ legs and master wine tasters’ taste buds. Lloyd’s names join together in syndicates and each syndicate will write insurance, ie, take on all or part of an insurance risk.
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There are many syndicates and each name will belong to one or more. Each syndicate hopes that premiums received will exceed claims paid out, in which case each name will receive a share of profits (after deducting administration expenses). For most of Lloyd’s 300 year existence, names were wealthy individuals who were prepared to risk their money in the insurance market.
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In recent years, it has become possible to invest in Lloyd’s with limited liability. This change came a little too late for a number of names who lost everything as some syndicates suffered heavy losses.
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Investment Banks
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Investment banks provide advice and arrange finance for companies who want to float on the stock market, raise additional finance by issuing further shares or bonds, or carry out mergers and acquisitions. They also provide services for those who might want to invest in shares and bonds, in particular pension funds and asset managers.
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Typically, an investment banking group provides some or all of the following services, either in divisions of the bank or in associated companies within the group:
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• Corporate finance and advisory work, normally in connection with new issues of securities for raising finance, takeovers, mergers and acquisitions.
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• Banking, for governments, institutions and companies.
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• Treasury dealing for corporate clients in currencies, with financial engineering services to protect them from interest and exchange rate fluctuations.
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• Investment management for sizeable investors such as corporate pension funds, charities, and private clients. They may do this either via direct investment for the wealthier, or by way of collective investment schemes. In larger firms, the value of funds under management runs into many billions of pounds.
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• Securities trading in equities, bonds and derivatives and the provision of broking and distribution facilities. Only a few investment banks provide services in all these areas. Most others tend to specialise to some degree and concentrate on only a few product lines.
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A number of banks have diversified their range of activities in response to the downturn between 2000 and 2002 by developing businesses such as proprietary trading, servicing hedge funds or making private equity investments.
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Consolidation in the investment banking sector has created a small number of global companies which dominate the industry. In the first half of 2005, the top 10 investment banks generated more than half of global revenue. Within that group, the top three alone accounted for 20% of the income.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Industry Participants

The following sections provide descriptions of some of the main participants referred to financial services industry.
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International Banking

International banking refers to banking activities that involve cross-border transactions. The world’s largest banks are evenly distributed across the US, the EU and Japan in terms of their country of incorporation.
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Within the top 25 banks there were two Chinese banks and one Swiss bank in 2004, with the remaining 22 being headquartered in the US, the EU or Japan. The most ‘international’ bank, judging by the distribution of its offices, is HSBC. Although being incorporated in the UK and having its headquarters in London, it has 58% of its offices in the Americas - mostly in the US and Brazil.
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Citigroup, the world’s largest bank, has a strong presence across the time zones, with over 30,000 employees in each of the European and Asia-Pacific regions. 3.2.2 Equity MarketsEquity markets are the best known of financial markets and facilitate the trading of shares in quoted companies.
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According to the 2005 Annual Report from the World Federation of Exchanges, the total value of shares quoted on the world’s stock exchanges reached US$41 trillion at the end of 2005. The New York Stock Exchange is the largest exchange in the world with a domestic market capitalisation of US$13 trillion - domestic market capitalisation is the value of shares listed on an exchange.
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The second largest is NASDAQ at US$3.6 trillion meaning that the two New York exchanges account for 40% of all exchanges. By comparison, Europe’s three largest exchanges - the London Stock Exchange (LSE), Euronext (which includes the Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon and Paris exchanges) and Deutsche Börse - had a domestic stock market capitalisation of US$6.9 trillion at the end of 2005.
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The same report shows that Asian exchanges also have an important share of world trading. The Tokyo Stock Exchange had a domestic market capitalisation of US$4.5 trillion, whilst other Asian and Pacific exchanges add a further US$4.8 trillion. Indian and Chinese exchanges, though still in their infancy, together had a domestic market capitalisation of US$1.5 trillion according to the 2005 Annual Report from the World Federation of Exchanges.
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India’s stock exchange is the fastest growing in Asia in percentage terms, and amongst the fastest growing in the world.
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Bond Markets
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Although less well known than equity markets, bond markets are larger both in size and value of trading. The stocks traded range from domestic bonds issued by companies and governments to international bonds issued by companies, governments and supra-national agencies such as the World Bank.
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According to the Bank for International Settlements, the total value of the global bond market measured by the amount of bonds outstanding reached €46 trillion in 2005. The US has the largest bond market, but trading in international bonds is predominantly undertaken in European markets.
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Foreign Exchange Markets
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Foreign exchange markets are the largest of all financial markets with average daily turnover in the region of US$2,500 billion. Europe is the largest market for foreign exchange trading, accounting for over half of total trading worldwide.
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Most of that activity takes place in the UK which accounts for around a third of global trading.The US is in second position. Japan has consolidated its position as the third largest foreign exchange trading location, ahead of Singapore and Hong Kong.
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The rate at which one currency is exchanged for another is set by supply and demand. For example, if there is strong demand from Japanese investors for US assets, such as property or bonds and shares, the US dollar will rise in value.
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Foreign exchange (Forex) rates tend to reflect:
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• prospects for growth; and
• comparative interest rates.
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Forex rates will have a substantial impact on businesses that engage in international trade by importing and/or exporting. As a result, there is an active foreign exchange market that enables companies to deal with their cash inflows and outflows denominated in overseas currencies.
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The market is provided by the major banks, who each provide rates of exchange at which they are willing to buy or sell currencies. Historically, most foreign exchange deals were arranged over the telephone, however electronic trading is becoming increasingly prevalent.
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The spot rate is the rate quoted by a bank for the exchange of one currency for another immediately although, in many cases, spot deals do not ‘settle’ (that is, the two currencies do not change hands) until two business days have elapsed.
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The forward rate is the rate quoted by a bank for the exchange of one currency for another at some agreed future date. Companies entering into forward transactions will know how much an overseas currency will cost or generate in advance. This will enable the companies to plan and budget more accurately.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Introduction to Securities and Investment

The world economy is growing rapidly and becoming increasingly integrated and interdependent as trade and investment flows rise.
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This has been accompanied by even faster growth and integration in the financial services sector. Here are some examples of this:
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Growth in wholesale financial services between 1997 and 2005 is estimated to have outstripped general economic growth by 70% on average.
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The UK’s financial services industry employs over 1 million people, it accounts for 9% of GDP and is the world’s largest single exporter of financial services.
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The increasing integration of markets can be seen in the proposed link-ups between the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Euronext and the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE).
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India’s stock exchanges are amongst the fastest growing in the world.
Looking ahead, China’s financial services are likely to average over 11% real growth per annum over the next fifteen years and its imports of financial and insurance services are likely to increase ten-fold by 2020.
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With this background, therefore, it is important to understand the core role that the financial services industry undertakes within the economy and some of the key features of the global financial services sector.
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The Role of the Financial Services Industry
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The financial services industry in developed countries is a major contributor to the economy. In the UK, for example, the activities of the firms headquartered in and around the City of London provide considerable employment, as well as overseas earnings for the economy.
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The financial services industry provides the link between organisations needing capital and those with capital available for investment. An organisation needing capital might be a growing company, and the capital might be provided by individuals saving for their retirement in a pension fund.
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It is the financial services industry that channels the money invested to those organisations that need it, and provides transmission, payment, advisory and management services. It is accepted that the financial services industry plays a critical role in all advanced economies and that the services it provides can be broken down into three core functions:
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Investment Chain - through the investment chain savers and borrowers are brought together, bringing finance to business and opportunities for savers to manage their finances over their lifetime. The efficiency of this chain is critical to allocating capital to the most profitable investments, providing a mechanism for saving, raising productivity and, in turn, improving competitiveness in the global economy.
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Risk - in addition to the opportunities that the investment chain provides for pooling investment risks, the financial services sector allows other risks to be managed effectively and efficiently through the use of insurance and increasingly sophisticated derivatives. These tools help business cope with global uncertainties as diverse as the value of currencies, the incidence of major accidents or the weather and protect households against everyday contingencies.
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Payment Systems – payment and banking services operated by the financial services sector provide the practical mechanisms for money to be managed, transmitted and received quickly and reliably. It is an essential requirement for commercial activities to take place and for participation in international trade and investment. Access to payment systems and banking services is a vital component of financial inclusion for individuals.
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Global Financial Services Industry
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A recent report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research has highlighted both the scale and importance of the financial services industry to the global economy. Key elements of the report include:
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• World trade in financial and insurance services reached €141 billion in 2004, or 8.2% of world trade in commercial services.
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• Wholesale finance’s contribution to global economic activity has averaged 6.3% annual growth over the past eight years, compared to 3.7% for global output generally.
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• The US accounts for 39% of world wholesale finance services and is growing at an average 7% each year.
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• The EU contributes to over half of world trade in finance and insurance services, whilst the UK is the single largest exporter of such services, enjoying 24% of world exports.
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• The EU leads a number of financial markets - such as international equity, foreign exchange and derivatives - whilst it is growing strongly in others, such as internationally-issued bonds, regulated funds and hedge funds.
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• In real terms, China’s wholesale financial sector is growing at nearly three times the pace of the EU’s and now accounts for 4% of the world market.
The number of organisations operating in the financial services industry is wide and varied. Each carries out a specialised function and an understanding of their role is important in order to understand how the industry is organised and interacts.
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The following sections detail the function of the main participants within the industry. For firms, although each is described as a separate organisation, the nature of financial conglomerates means that some of the largest global firms may have divisions carrying out each of these activities.
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Wholesale and Retail Business
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Within the financial services industry there are two distinct areas, namely the wholesale and institutional sector and the retail sector. The financial activities that make up the wholesale financial sector include:
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International banking - cross-border banking transactions.
Equity markets - the trading of quoted shares.
Bond markets - the trading of government, supranational or corporate debt.
Foreign exchange - the trading of currencies.
Derivatives - the trading of options, swaps, futures and forwards.
Fund management - managing mutual, pension and insurance pooled funds.
Insurance - re-insurance, major corporate insurance (including professional indemnity), captive insurance and risk-sharing insurance.
Investment banking - tailored banking services to organisations, such as undertaking mergers and acquisitions, equity trading, fixed income trading and private equity.
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By contrast, the retail sector focuses, unsurprisingly, on services provided to personal customers including:
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Retail banking - traditional range of deposit accounts, lending and credit cards;
Insurance - provision of a range of life insurance and protection solutions for areas such as medical insurance, critical illness, motor, property, income protection and mortgage protection;

Pensions - provision of investment accounts specifically designed to capture savings during a person’s working life and provide benefits on retirement;
Investment services - a range of investment products and vehicles ranging from execution-only stockbroking to full wealth management services and private banking;
Financial planning and financial advice.