Business

Who could have seen this coming?

After weeks of 'calm' - demanded by The People's Party - and well-managed 'National Team' ramps top 'prove' how much Xi's plan for the nesxt five years is being received, the end of China's National Congress has been met with... a plunge in stock and bond markets.

This is the biggest drop in the Chinese market in 11 weeks...

But it's not just stocks. The Chinese bond market is getting slammed...

On October 11, we reported that the now defunct Sears Canada announced plans to liquidate its remaining 150 stores instead of restructuring, the latest admission of brick and mortar defeat in the war with Amazon, with the result some 12,000 job losses in the coming weeks. The Canadian version of Sears is the latest victim of department-store decline that’s swept North America as shoppers gravitate online. While the retailer has dabbled in pop-up stores and e-commerce, its distribution centers aren’t as automated as Amazon.com Inc.

Last week, Japan's Nikkei 225 index enjoyed its longest winning streak in history which eventually ending after 16 consecutive days of gains, only to resume rising after a brief one day hiatus. And, as foreign investors once again flood the Japanese stock market, chasing the momentum which has pushed local stocks to levels not seen since 1996, the question on everyone's lips is how much longer can this continue?

Authored by Peter Tchir via Academy Securities,

When Reality and Sentiment Diverge
The Hopium versus Doomium Model

We are initiating the Hopium vs. Doomium model today.  I first came across the word Hopium in the aftermath of the financial crisis.  It was typically used by ‘doomers’ who believed markets were far ahead of themselves and were betting on hope rather than reality.

While the world debates whether blockchain-based Initial Coin Offerings are a fraudulent pyramid scheme, meant to take advantage of gullible investors who are desperate to get rich quick, or a revolutionary "post-equity" way of raising capital, a Norwegian mining company, Intex Resources ASA, has taken the next step in the latter, and last week announced it was issuing the world's first asset-backed Initial Coin Offering, with the resulting tokens being exchangeable for the physical collateral.