global economy

August’s bank lending level slipped as loans to businesses and consumers fell.

"Already, we forecast credit losses of about US$2.1 trillion ($2.89 trillion) for 2020 and 2021," say S&P Global Ratings analysts.

The global economic slump is likely to extend till 2Q2021 as lockdowns continue.

The analysts also see 2H2020 as an opportune time to rebalance portfolios from growth and momentum stocks into cyclical and value plays.

Thematic Investing, says investment firm Global X, is key to unlocking the potential of this trend.

At the close of trading in New York on Friday, bullion had spiraled to US$1,902.02 ($2,629.09) an ounce, some 30% higher than the low it hit in March.

The Senior Minister is worried about prolonged expansionary policy and threats to emerging markets.

The press has rarely been under attack as it is today. This is bad news for investors as well as journalists. Fund managers need cheap, unfettered access to information to thrive in the long term. Yet big money rarely wades in to defend free media.

DBS Group CEO Piyush Gupta says the global outbreak is the “single biggest crisis” he has seen. In terms of impact, Gupta says the world has not seen anything like “the height of dimensions of this crisis… from an economic standpoint”.

The Covid-19 crisis has triggered the fastest bear market in history, followed by the fastest initial rebound. Traditional defensive assets provided some protection during the March sell-off, but to a lesser degree than in past crashes.