Author's Contributions
Second Pandemic Year Ends With Strong Gains for Stock Markets
For the world’s stock markets, the second year of the coronavirus pandemic ended with partly spectacular gains. Which stock markets were the best in 2021? One thing should be said in advance: The Vienna Stock Exchange was among the top performers
New German “Traffic Light” Coalition Launches Climate and Economic Programme During Difficult Phase
Germany’s first federal government coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Green Party – called the “traffic light” coalition for the parties’ traditional colours – has now been in office for just under two weeks and is starting its planned renewal programme at the most difficult time imaginable. The train towards climate protection and renewable energies is picking up speed.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday Kick off the Year’s most Important Retail Season on Friday
On November 26, the traditional “Black Friday“ of discount deals in the US and many other countries officially kicks off the immensely important Christmas shopping season for many industries. However, with the trend towards online shopping accelerating with the Corona pandemic, how will this turn out this year?
Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Promises Economic Stimulus Programmes to Combat Corona Crisis After Election Victory
The parliamentary elections in Japan confirmed Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s pro-business course. Will the stock market gain new momentum?
Continuing Oil Price Rally Leads to new Multi-Year Highs
Crude oil prices continued to soar in the past week. The background to the oil price increases lies in the rising demand for oil combined with the ongoing economic recovery and fears of tight supply. The price surge in recent days was triggered by a drop in oil reserves reported by the US government on Wednesday.
Network Outage and Whistleblower give Facebook Critics new Fuel for Fire
Two nearly simultaneous events surrounding social network behemoth Facebook have recently directed public attention towards the network’s impact and power, giving Facebook critics new momentum: After an outage of the most important Facebook services last Monday that lasted several hours, former Facebook employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen made serious accusations against the company before the US Senate the following day.
Gas Price Surge Driving up Electricity Prices and Fueling Inflation Concerns
Gas prices have soared in recent weeks. What are the reasons behind this? Will the planned increase in Norwegian gas supply bring the relief we have been longing for? Read more in our blog.
20 Years of 9/11: Full Circle from Bush to Biden
Exactly 20 years ago, on 11 September 2001, the USA was shaken by the worst terrorist attacks in its history. The attacks on the World Trade Center in New York claimed the lives of 3,000 people. They changed world politics. The effects are still a big issue today – keyword Afghanistan.
Tourism Industry on the Path to Recovery in Summer, but Pre-Crisis Level Still a Long Way Off
The travel and tourism industry is continuing its recovery. The number of overnight stays increased noticeably in what is now the second Corona pandemic summer, and travel figures paint a similar picture. However, pre-Corona pandemic levels are still a long way off, and the recent strong spread of the delta variant of the virus is also an uncertainty factor.
Germany’s economy recovering from slump
Germany’s economy is back on a growth path after the pandemic dip at the beginning of the year. While service providers and retailers benefit from the relaxation of the Corona measures, the industry is being held back by material shortages and supply bottlenecks. How does the German stock index (DAX) react?
Bezos, Branson and Musk launch the age of commercial space tourism
With their flights into space in July 2021, multi-billionaires Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson launched the era of commercial space tourism. Whether space travel can become a lucrative business remains to be seen.
Oil prices climb to multi-year highs after OPEC negotiations fail
The rise in oil and energy prices is fueling concerns about a burgeoning inflation. Behind the failure of the latest OPEC negotiations is also a political competition for influence and power in the Gulf region.
5 years after the Brexit referendum: UK on the path to recovery in turbulent times
These days mark the 5th anniversary of the British vote to leave the European Union. How does the UK stand economically after the “Brexit”? What challenges still lie ahead for the country? What opportunities do investors have? Read more in today’s blog.
G7 countries agree climate targets, vaccination programmes and China policy
With renewed vigour, the heads of state of the G7 group of leading industrialised nations recently agreed climate targets, vaccination programmes for poor countries and a common front against China at their eponymous summit, held in the British resort of Carbis Bay.
DAX set to break all-time high thanks to economic recovery as election year autumn approaches
Germany has awakened from its pandemic “deep sleep”, and the economy is picking up speed in an election year. Investments related to the reduction of greenhouse gases could give a strong boost to innovative companies in the DAX and at European level.
Banks, IT companies and car manufacturers report profit gains in Q1
The reporting season is drawing to a close. Most of the companies listed on the stock exchange exceeded analysts’ estimates. The outlook for the future is also optimistic.
Global semiconductor shortage continues to pose challenge for automotive and electronics sectors
The global shortage of semiconductors is causing problems for car manufacturers and the computer industry. Trends such as the digitalisation of working life or autonomous driving are likely to increase demand even more. Technology shares are in demand.
Hedge fund Archegos Capital’s default causing a big stir
Hedge funds have often been talked about in the past because a failure of their sometimes risky investment strategies can trigger chain reactions in the financial industry and the markets, as was the case recently with Archegos Capital. But hedge funds often take on an important role with their alternative investment strategies. Read more on our blog.
US and Europe restarting joint efforts in fight against climate change
The USA and the EU are back on the same page as new President Joe Biden takes office. The new US climate envoy John Kerry, on his first visit to Brussels in this role, underlined the importance of the renewed climate alliance with Europe. “We are committed to renewing our strong alliance in the fight against the climate crisis,” the former US Secretary of State said in a joint statement with EU representatives last Wednesday.
Hopes for upswing continue to drive oil and industrial metal prices higher
Hopes for an economic recovery, but also the latest inflation fears, have recently fuelled the price rally on the commodity markets, with prices for crude oil and industrial metals continuing to soar. Several metal prices recently rose to multi-year highs.
EU Commission lowers growth forecasts for 2021, but is more optimistic for 2022
In view of the still rampant Corona pandemic, the EU Commission has recently lowered its growth forecasts for 2021. With the delays in some EU countries’ vaccination programmes, the lockdowns could also drag on, delaying the expected economic recovery, the Commission argues.
US earnings season gets off to a positive start, Netflix with record figures
On the world’s stock exchanges, earnings season in the USA is being followed with great interest. During this period, almost all major listed US companies report on their past financial quarter and give an outlook for the coming year.
USA: Clear sailing for Joe Biden’s economic programme after winning Senate majority
After the Democrats’ success in the Senate run-off elections in the US State of Georgia, the party now has the de-facto majority in both chambers of Congress, and therefore US President-elect Joe Biden should soon have much more leeway for implementing his economic policy programmes.
ECB and European Parliament get crisis programmes for 2021 on track
As the year 2020 comes to a close, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Parliament have put their respective programmes for the fight against the crisis on track for next year. The MEPs recently approved the approximately EUR 1.1tn Community budget for the next seven years, which includes EUR 750bn in Corona aid.
OPEC+ haggling over production restrictions at ongoing meeting
The eyes of the international business world are currently fixed on Vienna. At the OPEC headquarters in downtown Vienna, the oil cartel’s member states and its allies are currently haggling over production volumes, and thus the further development of oil prices, via video conference.
Turkey: Erdogan combats crisis with new economic programme after change of staff
After unexpected replacements of the head of the central bank and the finance minister, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently declared war on the inflation and currency depreciation in his country with a new economic programme. In doing so, Erdogan is radically turning away from his previous economic policy line by relying on foreign investment and monetary stability.
Global economic slump less severe than expected, but still the worst recession in decades, according to IMF
According to current forecasts by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the global economy should be able to handle the consequences of the corona pandemic somewhat better than has been feared. In its eagerly awaited global economic outlook for this year, the IMF now expects global economic output to decline by only 4.4 per cent. The IMF has thus adjusted its last forecast from June by 0.5 percentage points.
US election campaign entering hot phase: decision in the midst of the crisis
In the midst of the corona crisis, following the first TV debate and US president Donald Trump’s infection with the corona virus, the race for the US presidential office enters its critical phase. In nationwide opinion polls, Democratic candidate Joe Biden is currently ahead of Republican incumbent Trump.
New Prime Minister Suga wants to lead Japan out of the crisis with an old team and reforms
Japan officially entered a new era on Wednesday: As was expected, Japan’s new head of government Yoshihide Suga was elected Prime Minister by the majority of his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), succeeding Shinzo Abe.
Trump declares war on Chinese companies behind TikTok and WeChat
US President Donald Trump has escalated his fight against the Chinese-owned social media services TikTok and WeChat, and in the process also caused new tensions in the trade dispute with China.
Race for Corona vaccine: 25 vaccine candidates in clinical trials
The pharmaceutical companies and universities racing to develop a corona vaccine are making strides: according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 25 candidates are currently undergoing clinical trials.
Corona crisis continues to weigh heavily on the aviation industry
Despite the recent border openings, the corona pandemic continues to impact the aviation industry.
Travel industry hoping for rapid recovery after border opening
With the opening of many European countries’ borders, the travel industry, which has been severely affected by the response measures to the coronavirus pandemic, is also hoping for a revival of travel and tourism, which has virtually come to a standstill.
German government approves EUR 130bn stimulus package to “emerge from the crisis with a bang”
Germany’s government wants to cushion the consequences of the Corona crisis with a massive economic stimulus package. This show of strength is intended to revive the economy and consumption of citizens and avert a severe recession.
Car industry suffers from corona pandemic
The Corona crisis has also caused the automotive industry to suffer a sharp drop in sales. The sharpest drop in new registrations was recorded in Italy and Spain. China provides a glimmer of hope.
ECB to buy bonds despite ruling of the German Constitutional Court
The European Central Bank (ECB) wants to stick to its bond purchases despite the recent ruling by the German constitutional court. “We will continue to do whatever is necessary to fulfill this mandate,” said ECB chief Christine Lagarde.
Corona crisis dampens expectations for business figures
The first reporting season of 2020 in the USA is dominated by the corona crisis. What trends can be seen from the Q1 figures for the rest of the year?
Dow Jones: A brief history of the crisis
As the world’s best-known stock index, the Dow Jones Industrial index provides an overview of the most serious crises from the perspective of the financial markets. History shows that a deep fall does not necessarily mean a long dry spell.
What is helicopter money?
While traditional monetary policy measures are also employed, the focus has recently shifted to a concept that has always been the subject of debate: helicopter money.
20th anniversary of the dot-com bubble: The return of tech stocks
20 years later: The high point of the “dot-com bubble” is approaching. Stock markets and technology stocks plummeted at the time but investors were still able to make a small fortune. We take a look at the return of technology stocks.
Coronavirus starting to affect global corporations
Coronavirus: The spread of the virus is the defining issue in the financial markets. Global corporations such as Apple, Adidas and AT&S are also suffering the economic consequences.
Turbulent start of the year for oil
Oil prices came under pressure at the beginning of the year. The consequences of the coronavirus in China were cited as the main reason for the fall in prices.
How does the struggle for a stable oil price continue?
Climate change and other challenges front and center at the WEF
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, topics from business, politics and science were discussed. However, climate protection received the most attention. How is the global economy doing?
And what is the outlook for 2020?
US banks report good and bad developments in the financial sector
The reporting season with the largest US banks started on Wall Street last week. Their results give a good impression of how the previous year went and what trends can be identified for this year.
2019 stock market review
Our 2019 stock market review: for investors around the world, 2019 was by and large a continuation of the previous year: the trade dispute between the US and China and the back and forth over Brexit remained the dominant topics.
Bargains, sales and dividends: Hopeful signs for US retail investors
Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are considered to be the weeks with the highest retail sales. How can investors benefit from the US Christmas business?
Demand in the oil market will not lose momentum until 2030
Against the background of the initial public offering of Saudi Aramco, the international energy agency predicts a robust demand for oil by 2025. Thereafter demand-dynamics will decline sharply due to increase in energy-efficient vehicles.
Equities and funds are gaining popularity
Flexibility and security are still the priorities of Austrian households in investing. However, higher yielding investment forms are becoming increasingly popular.
Turkish economy caught between recovery and conflicts
The Turkish invasion in northern Syria and the conflict surrounding it with the USA put the lira under renewed pressure, raising concerns about the Turkish economy’s recovery.
No long-term consequences after brief panic in oil market
In the previous week crude oil prices have been the highest since 1991. How is the struggle for stable prices on the oil market going? First AM resource expert Alexander Weiss explains the current situation.