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While the other big bank stocks have been largely sluggish since March, UBS is racing ahead in a competitive space. Here's what's behind UBS' rally, and why it might be a great buy today.During the Great Recession, banks -- both foreign and domestic -- were a large part of the problem. Overleveraged trading divisions were hit hard as mortgage-backed securities, one of the largest markets for bond notes and derivatives trading, were decimated.
The fundamentals of the current recession are very different. No longer so overextended, banks had been on a relatively conservative growth trajectory, bolstered by strong balance sheets and a booming economy. While many are bracing for extensive loan losses, they appear to be better capitalized in this crisis.
And some -- those that rely less on lending and more on wealth management and investment banking -- are doing even better. Given its market positioning and revenue drivers, UBS is one of the institutions getting a boost during this crisis. For the quarter ending on March 31, UBS reported that net profit after taxes rose 40% year over year, a phenomenal gain.
UBS' global wealth management group, which accounted for 57% of the company's operating income, reported numbers that reveal a coronavirus bump. While net interest income remained fairly steady (up 2% year over year), transaction-based income increased 19% over the same period in 2019 and 28% from the fourth quarter on "higher levels of client activity" -- understandable given March's record volatility.
While often derided as the least prestigious (read: smallest) of the global investment banks, UBS' investment banking division (which contributed 31% of operating income) reported stunning numbers in the first quarter: $1.6 billion in net income, up from $949 million in the previous quarter and $1.1 billion in Q1 2019 -- incredible increases of 70% and 47%, respectively. With the global recovery still very much up in the air, that continued uncertainty may mean those elevated client activity levels are here to stay. So, while banks like JPMorgan Chase have failed to regain traction after the coronavirus plunge, UBS became the little engine that could.
According to a UBS investor sentiment survey conducted on global investors with more than $1 million of investable assets and business owners with more than $1 million in annual revenue, investors aren't panicking. While 46% of surveyed clients reported short-term (over the next 12 months) pessimism, 70% were optimistic about the world economy over the next 10 years. Of those clients, only 16% plan to decrease their investments, while 47% do not plan to adjust their portfolio. And, in the face of a global recession, 37% plan to increase their investments. With investor sentiment this high, UBS can feel safe delivering value in the face of global turmoil.
It said it had achieved positive year-on-year growth of retail sales each month since April and that sales had increased by 101.8 percent in the second quarter compared with this year’s first quarter.
Sales in the first quarter had been impacted by the COVID-19 situation, but the automobile industry was now in recovery, and the Shanghai government’s policies to promote purchases had achieved good results.
In the first half of the year, SAIC focused on technological innovation, laying a foundation for future sustainable development, it said, with great efforts in the field of new-energy vehicles, intelligent and connected vehicles and software technology.
SAIC said its business performance in overseas market is good, with its self-owned brand sales overseas reaching 79,000 units, a 17.3 percent increase year on year.
In the second half of the year, SAIC will announce commencement of business in Mexico. SAIC's MG brand will also enter Spain, Switzerland and Germany.
In early April, Shanghai said it would further rev up auto consumption and released a series of policies. A number of new car launches and preferential promotions took place during the two-month Double Five Shopping Festival. SAIC held an auto carnival at the Shanghai Exhibition Center from May 1 to May 10.
Zhang Xiaofeng, an independent market analyst, said consumer confidence is improving and thus SAIC Motor's performance is also improving. In the second half of this year, Zhang said SAIC is expected to continue to perform well.
Belgium
enforced tough restrictions on social interactions again as it battles
fresh outbreaks of the coronavirus that have multiplied in the past two
weeks.To get more news about OlympusFx, you can visit wikifx news official website.
Each
household is allowed to have leisurely contact with no more than five
other persons for the next four weeks starting Wednesday, Prime Minister
Sophie Wilmes said in Brussels. That?s a reduction from 15 per week,
which was on an individual basis. The epidemic situation in the city of
Antwerp, home to Europe?s second-biggest port, will require ?forceful?
action from local authorities, according to Wilmes, who said the
restrictions should help the country steer clear from a new lockdown.
???We?re
touching individual liberties. That?s a tough message,? Wilmes told
reporters. ?But the virologists tell us a lot of infection clusters are
linked to parties, marriages and the like.?
??Belgium
has been confronted with a resurgence of the epidemic since mid-July
following two months of gradual reopening at a time when the average
number of daily infections never dropped below 80. Antwerp, the most
populous city of Belgium?s Dutch-speaking northern region of Flanders,
has been hit the hardest, with a rate of 108 weekly infections per
100,000 inhabitants. About 17% of Belgium?s 581 municipalities have now
crossed the threshold of 20 weekly infections per 100,000 inhabitants
set by health officials to signal excessive spread.
The insurer agreed to move its listing to a new bourse in the country that will only deal in foreign currency, three people with direct knowledge of the matter said. The deal came after talks on Monday between representatives of Old Mutual, the Treasury, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe and the ZSE, the people said, asking not to be identified because negotiations were private.
The government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa has blamed a plunge in the local currency on the 175-year-old insurer‘s share price. Companies were using the so-called Old Mutual Implied Rate to determine the forward value for the Zimbabwean currency by using differences in the dollar values of the company’s securities in London, Johannesburg and Harare.
By eradicating the implied rate, the nation‘s ruling party is seeking to end a multitude of exchange rates used by Zimbabweans to navigate the country’s myriad economic challenges. The government last week set new regulations to compel businesses to use a single exchange rate for pricing goods and services in a bid to tame inflation of 737% in a country battling with shortages of everything from food to fuel.
Tabby Tsengiwe, the Johannesburg-based insurer‘s spokeswoman, didn’t respond to a call or a text message seeking comment. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube didnt respond to calls for comment.
Another meeting is scheduled for next week to resolve administrative issues and discuss the finer details, the people said.
A surge in Old Mutuals Zimbabwe stock -- which like other shares was being used as a hedge against inflation -- widened the gap between its South African and U.K. securities, causing the OMIR to rise to 122. The Zimbabwe dollar has weakened to 72.1470 per U.S. dollar on a foreign-currency auction system that was introduced after a currency peg of 25 was dropped last month.
Terminating Old Mutual‘s listing paves the way for dealing to resume on the Harare-based ZSE -- which was abruptly halted on June 28 -- once Zimbabwe’s Financial Intelligence Unit has completed a probe into trading on the bourse. It is still unclear when the stock exchange in the resort town of Victoria Falls will begin operating.
Old Mutual, which listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange in December 1999, opened its first office in the country in 1902 and offers life, property and casualty cover, asset management, property development and banking services in the country.
With the world economy in crisis and Modern Monetary Theory gaining attention, governments are being pressured to spend more and turn to their central banks to print money to foot the bill. But when it comes to scooping up that debt, most central banks are doing it in the secondary market.
Sources: Institute of International Finance, using data from Bank for International Settlements, International Monetary Fund, national governments
Three weeks on, currency and bond markets appear to have given Indonesia a pass on its direct financing foray. Analysts say thats because the central bank gave a clear signal that it was a one-time program and officials spearheading the plan, like Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, are credible.
“The Indonesia burden-sharing program is a success given it has a clear timeline and framework,” said Jean-Charles Sambor, London-based head of emerging markets fixed income at BNP Paribas Asset Management. “If, however, we start to see a material increase in the size of such programs in emerging markets, it could result in considerable weakness in the currency.” In many emerging nations, laws forbid the central bank from purchasing debt straight from the government, with several now buying domestic paper in the secondary market instead. Fitch Ratings Ltd. cites the following countries as having taken the latter approach: Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Poland, South Africa, Croatia, Romania, Hungary, Chile, Costa Rica and Colombia.
In Argentina, which defaulted on its debt earlier this year, the central bank has transferred 1.3 trillion pesos ($18 billion) to the Treasury since the lockdown was announced on March 19. Cash in circulation has surged, dollar demand is high, and with a massive economic contraction underway, consumer prices are set to rise a staggering 53% over the next 12 months.
The Bank of Russia came under pressure to help fund a growing budget deficit after the energy exporter was hit by a double blow from the pandemic and slump in global oil demand. However, real interest rates remain positive there, so theres still room to use conventional measures.
The South African Reserve Bank is resisting calls for deficit financing, arguing it would bankrupt the central bank. And while the Reserve Bank of India hasn‘t bought bonds directly from the government, it’s expanded its balance sheet amid the pandemic by allowing Indian banks to borrow at cheap rates and lend money back to the federal government.
“There has been a lot of talk of monetary financing, but much less action,” said Elina Ribakova, deputy chief economist at the Washington-based Institute of International Finance.
Investors are betting setbacks in the global fight against coronavirus will push Fed Chairman Jerome Powell to signal Wednesday that rates will stay near zero for longer. Infections slowed in California, Arizona and Florida, though reported numbers are often incomplete on weekends. Health officials around the world are also trying to tackle a renewed increase in cases, with surges from China to Spain and Germany underscoring the difficulty of curbing the pandemic.
“We expect no change from the Federal Reserve,” Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst, Asia Pacific, at Oanda in Singapore, said. “That will reiterate their ultra-dovish stance.”
China reported the most domestic coronavirus infections in more than four months as it battles outbreaks in its western and northeastern regions, raising fears of a serious resurgence.
“Typically we have about 10,000 active jobseekers a week,” Hilda Kragha, Jobberman‘s chief executive officer, said in interview in Lagos, the country’s financial capital. “During this pandemic, we have been having over 55,000, which means more people are looking for jobs.”
Like many countries Nigeria has been hit hard economically after implementing lockdowns to contain the spread of coronavirus. Africas top oil producer was also reeling from a collapse in crude prices earlier in the year and is suffering from rampant dollar shortages. Combined they have exacerbated the strain on a wide range of businesses in a country that has long struggled to provide jobs for its young population.
The data from Jobberman, which recruits mainly white-collar employees and doesnt track those looking for non-skilled, blue-collar work, chimes with official estimates that sees unemployment in the nation of more than 200 million soaring to 34% by the end of the year from 23% in 2019.
Read more: Locked Down and Left in the Lurch, African Businesses Face Ruin
While there was a 40% drop in recruitment in March when the first two weeks after movement restrictions were imposed, applications per vacancy on the online platform has jumped by 183% this year.
With Nigeria‘s economy set to contract 5.4% this year, according to International Monetary Fund estimates, IT and telecommunication firms are topping Jobberman’s hiring charts as Nigerian companies, like others worldwide, adapt to an at-home workforce. Likewise the hospitality, tourism, travel, aviation, entertainment and oil and gas industries have fallen to the bottom.
Firms are also cutting down on the number of staff they need or are putting off offers to new employees as they reassess their plans.
“We have a client who was trying to hire 2,000 people before the pandemic, as the pandemic started they reduced to 500 and now theyve only confirmed about 200 people,” Kragha said. At least 10% of those already offered jobs through the platform have been put on hold by their potential employers.
Jobberman, which is a local unit of Ringier One Africa Media Group, has over 2 million registered job seekers on its platform and placed 16,000 jobseekers in roles in the past three months, according to Kragha.
One mainland Chinese school broke into the global top five in the latest Financial Times MBA ranking, while another cracked the Asian top 10. So although one fewer Chinese school made the global top 100 compared with last year, the country's premier institutions are becoming more competitive.
All told, 15 Asian business schools made the worldwide top 100, one fewer than in 2018. They are led by the Franco-Singaporean school Insead, which retained its top position in Asia but declined one spot globally, to third from second. Six are located in China, including Hong Kong, along with four each from India and Singapore and one from South Korea.
Seven of the world's top 10 schools are still in the U.S., with the Stanford Graduate School of Business holding onto No. 1. Harvard Business School jumped from fifth to second.
The FT's ranking, released on Jan. 28, evaluates business schools based on factors like job prospects, the salaries graduates earn and diversity.
China Europe International Business School, or Ceibs -- established by the Chinese government and the European Union in Shanghai -- was named the world's No. 5 business school, continuing its surge from eighth in 2018 and eleventh in 2017.Ceibs prides itself on its international faculty -- 62% of the total -- and professors' deep understanding of China. On average, they have 11 years' experience working in the country.
The school also invites prominent executives and political leaders to give lectures and career coaching, such as former Sony Chairman and CEO Nobuyuki Idei. And it emphasizes in-the-field learning, with programs designed to help students grasp recent developments in Chinese business. Trips to Shenzhen and Nanjing, for instance, let students see how Chinese companies are globalizing their operations. Study abroad programs, to places such as Malaysia, afford opportunities to learn about corporate social responsibility.
Another Shanghai institution, Fudan University School of Management, jumped four rungs within Asia to eighth place, from 12th in the region last year.
Fudan established an international MBA program with the MIT Sloan School of Management in 1996. It offers over 300 courses, showing students the ropes of finance, innovation, investment management, e-commerce and big data.
In addition, "our school has strengthened the practical business consulting program in recent years," said Sun Long, executive director of Fudan's IMBA program. As part of this, students are offered the chance to gain real-world working experience. The university has partnerships with more than 160 companies, from Chinese conglomerate Fosun Group and telecom equipment maker Huawei Technologies to Intel, McDonald's and Michelin.Fudan graduates see a 195% average salary increase three years after graduation -- the biggest of any school even in the global ranking.
The university's career progress rank -- which reflects changes in seniority level and size of employer before and after graduation -- stood at third globally, up from 10th in 2018.One thing that makes Fudan unique is its high percentage of full-time female students, which climbed to 65%, from 57% last year. Sun said the school makes a point of being women-friendly, with support for pregnancies and new mothers. When women cannot attend the regular three-day guidance program for first-year students, the school arranges alternative sessions. And in 2017, it started offering a special guidance program for women and their families, to help everyone understand the pressure the courses will entail.
Only one South Korean school -- Sungkyunkwan University Graduate School of Business -- made the global top 100, coming in 42nd place. But it made a splash at least in Asia, rising five spots to rejoin the regional top 10 for the first time in five years.
SKK GSB receives steady support from Samsung Group and accepts students from over fifty countries, according to a spokesperson. Over 60% of the faculty members are internationally based, and many consult for multinational corporations on the side. Most specialize in management, marketing or finance.
The South Korean school ranked first in the careers service ranking, which shows the effectiveness of an institution's career support system -- counseling, personal development, networking events, access to internships and recruitment -- as rated by alumni.
Nine Chinese schools were ranked in the FT’s top 100 in 2020 (seven in the top 50), compared with just three in 2010.
US schools still dominate the ranking, with 51 of the top 100 from the United States, the birthplace of the MBA degree. But, together with the UK, China is now home to the most FT-ranked schools after the US.
Chinese schools climb the rankings
The rise of Chinese business schools in the FT MBA ranking runs alongside China’s rise as a world economic superpower.
A wave of successful businessmen, who got rich quick during China’s boom, demanded more formal management education—and that desire soon spread. The last decades have seen a proliferation of Chinese business schools launching MBA programs and gaining some global acclaim.
The strong performance of Chinese schools in the FT MBA ranking can be explained, in part, by the ranking’s methodology.
The FT places a strong emphasis on jobs data: placement rates and average salaries three years after graduation. It also takes into account measures like career progression, value for money, and the diversity of the MBA class.
Chinese schools tend to perform well for value for money and the salary increases their students—who start from a lower base than their Western counterparts—achieve after graduation.Take, for example, the MBA at Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Antai College of Economics and Management, one of the oldest and most prestigious schools in China. Antai is ranked the 37th best business school in the world and third in mainland China by the FT. But it’s when you break down the FT data that you discover the true value of the MBA.
Antai boasts a 100% employment rate, meaning every MBA student surveyed by the FT got a job after graduation. That’s more than any other Western or mainland Chinese school. The school says most students go on to work in the financial services, manufacturing, and technology industries.
MBA graduates from Antai can expect a huge 201% average increase on their salaries from when they entered the program—the third highest globally—with graduates enjoying a potential average salary of over $130,000 three years after graduation.
Accordingly, Antai is ranked 13th in the world and second in China for value for money by the FT, which takes into account the program’s tuition fees. While business schools in the US charge upwards of $100,000 for their MBA programs, schools in China tend to be more affordable. Antai charges $44,000 for its two-year MBA program.
Only perhaps the need to be accredited by AACSB or EQUIS—a lengthy process and a pre-requisite for entry into the FT ranking—has stopped more Chinese schools climbing the FT rankings in recent years.
China Europe International Business School is a business school located in Shanghai, China.To get more news about business school Shanghai, you can visit acem.sjtu.edu.cn official website.
Established under an agreement between the Chinese government and the European Commission in Shanghai in November 1994, CEIBS was the first business school in mainland China to offer a full-time MBA, an Executive MBA and a wide range of Executive Education programmes. CEIBS follows the European model of business schools. It's MBA programme has consistently ranked amongst the best in the world.
The school's predecessor, the China-EC Management Institute (CEMI), was launched in Beijing in 1984. After CEIBS was formally established in 1994 in collaboration with its partners European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, it later moved to Minhang in Shanghai. In 1994, CEIBS opened its main campus in Shanghai's Pudong district.
In May 2009 CEIBS started an EMBA programme in Ghana, being the first Asian business school to start such a programme in Africa. CEIBS was also the first Asian business school, and one of the very few around the globe, to become carbon neutral in 2011. In 2009, CEIBS became the first Chinese business school to make the world's Top 10 MBA ranking compiled by the FT.
In November 2015, CEIBS announced that it had acquired the Lorange Institute of Business of Zurich for 16.5 million Swiss francs, with plans to train over 200 Chinese managers per month.
Established in 1994, the main campus of CEIBS in Shanghai's Pudong district was designed by Henry N. Cobb and Ian Bader of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and made CEIBS the first business school in mainland China with its own campus.In 2011, CEIBS began the 18-month construction of Phase 3 of the Shanghai campus which doubled its size to 7.5 million square meters.[citation needed]
CEIBS opened its Beijing campus on April 24, 2010, within Beijing's Zhonguangcun Software Park alongside the research centres of IBM, Oracle, Neusoft and more than 200 other leading technology companies. It effectively doubled the school's total number of classroom seats. Designed by the Spanish architectural firm IDOM, the Beijing campus hosts CEIBS EMBA programme and executive education courses. Each year, the CEIBS Beijing campus graduates almost 300 EMBA students and nearly 3,000 executive education participants. The campus is also a central meeting point for CEIBS alumni as Beijing is home to CEIBS’ second-largest alumni chapter (after Shanghai).