Economic Round-up

 America’s Federal Reserve kept interest rates at a level close to zero. The Fed’s accompanying statement, which markets were keenly awaiting for any sign of a shift in policy, reiterated its intent to keep rates “exceptionally low” for an “extended period”.

 The Bank of England decided to inject a further £25 billion ($42 billion) into the British economy through its quantitative easing programme, raising the cumulative total to £200 billion. The extra asset purchases will be made over the next three months, a slower rate than before.

 At a conference in London several leading bankers criticised new proposals for regulating banks that are “too big to fail”. Josef Ackermann, head of Deutsche Bank and chairman of the Institute of International Finance, defended large banks as the “most efficient” means of providing financial services to multinationals.

 In an effort to diversify its foreign reserves, India bought 200 tons of gold from the IMF during October, which will nudge the country into the top ten gold-holders worldwide. The news sent the price of gold to another high.

 UBS made an unexpected loss in the third quarter, as net outflows from clients mounted in its private-banking business. The Swiss bank earlier this year reached a settlement with American authorities over “secret” accounts.

 CIT, a lender to small businesses, filed for bankruptcy protection under a reorganisation plan that had been accepted by most of its bondholders. The move was widely anticipated as CIT struggled with $30 billion in debt, which its restructuring will reduce by a third. The company received a $2.3 billion bail-out last year—money that is now unlikely to be returned to taxpayers.
(From The Economist)

New Financial Power Brokers

Let me share the abstract from a recent article published in Mckinsey Quarterly. Last year’s events have altered the fortunes of the four large groups of investors—oil exporters, Asian sovereign investors, hedge funds, and private-equity firms—described as “the new power brokers” in a 2007 report from the McKinsey Global Institute. That MGI study analyzed their rapid rise in wealth and clout at a time of soaring crude prices, expanding trade, and cheap credit. Although the boom years ended in late 2008 as the financial crisis escalated and the global economy slumped, new MGI research shows that the power brokers fared relatively well. But their future paths have diverged: petrodollar and Asian sovereign investors are more influential than ever, while the rapid growth of hedge funds and private-equity firms has halted abruptly.