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Worthy Insights / Opinion Pieces / Advice
NYT – Federal Budget Deficit Projected to Top $1 Trillion in 2020 – Thomas Kaplan 4/9
- “The federal government’s annual budget deficit is set to widen significantly in the next few years, topping $1 trillion in 2020 despite healthy economic growth, according to new projections from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released Monday.”
- “The national debt, which has topped $21 trillion, is expected to soar to more than $33 trillion in 2028. By then, debt held by the public will almost match the size of the nation’s economy, reaching 96% of gross domestic product, a higher level than any point since just after World War II and well past the level that economists say could court a crisis.”
Markets / Economy
WSJ – Daily Shot: Garth Friesen – 10-year Government Yield Comparison 4/9
Real Estate
WSJ – Daily Shot: MBA – Top 10 Commercial & Multifamily Mortgage Originators in 2017 4/9
Cryptocurrency / ICOs
- “Celebrity endorsers of cryptocurrency fundraisers are at risk of legal action from regulators and investors, legal experts have warned, following a US case that highlighted the involvement of famous promoters in a so-called initial coin offering that collapsed.”
- “The Securities and Exchange Commission last week charged two men with taking $32m from thousands of investors via an ICO, a crowdfunding mechanism used to raise money for digital currency ventures. The co-founders allegedly raised the funds for a ‘fraudulent’ start-up called Centra Tech, with the scheme touted on social media by champion boxer Floyd Mayweather and musician DJ Khaled.”
- “While the SEC stopped short of naming the celebrity promoters in their statement, it noted their involvement — an unusual move because they are not defendants in the case. Experts said celebrities who have endorsed ICOs could now face legal action from regulators, as well as investors who believe they have been scammed.”
- “Charles Whitehead, a professor at Cornell Law School, warned that even if an ICO was not a scam, promoters could face legal action. In most cases, someone who promoted an ICO that was not registered with the regulator could have violated market rules, he said, noting that US laws tightly regulate publicity around the sale of new securities.”
Asia – excluding China and Japan
Economist – Cases against two ex-presidents of South Korea fit an alarming pattern 4/7
- “The past seven heads of state have all been embroiled in corruption scandals.”
China
FT – China’s fund industry predicted to grow fivefold by 2025 – Chris Flood 4/8
- “China will provide the ‘single largest growth opportunity’ for global investment managers, with the country’s mutual fund assets forecast to multiply fivefold to reach $7.5tn (Rmb47tn) by 2025.”
- “This expansion could create a fee pool for running mutual funds worth $42bn a year, a lucrative new stream of profits for international managers with an established Asian presence, according to UBS, the Swiss bank.”
- “China is on course to become the world’s second biggest fund market, behind the US.”
- “Beijing unveiled far-reaching reforms in November intended to accelerate the growth of China’s under-developed investment industry with less than 5% of Chinese household assets held in mutual funds.”
- “It plans to relax or eliminate foreign ownership limits on Chinese financial services groups, including asset managers, a change that is designed to attract greater involvement by large international players.”
- “Stewart Aldcroft, Asia chief executive of CitiTrust, the securities and fund services arm of US bank Citigroup, said Beijing’s decision to allow foreigners to own 100% of mainland fund management companies as early as 2020 had provided a ‘huge opportunity’ for international players.”
- “He noted that about $17tn in assets is held in unregulated wealth management products.”
- “’Chinese regulators want a large proportion of those assets to move to the regulated areas so they are making it easier for fund management companies to operate,’ said Mr Aldcroft.”