Nobody knows true value of stock market analysis, even the very investment banks that sell it. Until now, stock market research was considered a "bonus", which was received by institutional customers for commissions from trade. However, now everything can change due to a reform of the EU Directive "Markets in Financial Instruments Directive" MiFID II EU, which require asset managers to share...

Rally of iron ore prices shows signs of slowdown. Commodity prices showed the maximum weekly decline for almost four months amid growing concerns about demand in China, while supplies are climbing up, reports Bloomberg. The prices growth "is based on optimism about demand," says Caroline Bain, Chief Commodities Economist at Capital Economics. "Thus, we believe that the recent decline reflects...

OPEC countries and other oil exporters, which signed the oil freeze agreement, are now discussing a possibility of extending the deal and involve companies from the United States. At the same time, the agreement’s key player, Saudi Arabia, hints that oil suppliers outside the cartel, in particular, Russia, are making insufficient efforts to comply with the agreement. Meanwhile, the IEA is...

Stuttgart has recently introduced a ban on diesel engines within the city, and its German neighbors may soon follow its example. German automotive industry still believes in its favorite technology, but the market has already felt a drop in demand. "Sell your diesel while it's still possible" – said Die Welt in the beginning of March, causing a lot of resonance in Germany. Its author urged German...

Global market for investment banking services is shrinking. What’s worse, proportion of European banks there is getting smaller. Proceeds of the banks from provision of investment and trading services in 2016 has been falling for the fourth year in a row, independent research company Coalition said. On average, revenues have been falling by more than 3% per year since 2012. Many of Europe's...

At the end of 2016, China's banking system was the largest in the world in terms of assets. This fact reflects both growing role of China in global finance and increasing dependence of the Chinese economy on the debt financing, writes Financial Times. At December 31, China's banking assets reached $ 33 trillion, compared with $ 31 trillion in the 19 euro-zone countries, $ 16 trillion in US and $...

Tesla made electric cars trendy, and demand for batteries is growing rapidly. Manufacturers of lithium are celebrating skyrocketed prices. How soon will investors realize that there is plenty of lithium in reserve, and when will the growth of prices end? Over the last eighteen months, prices for lithium have risen sharply due to growing demand for car batteries and smartphones. It looks like...

Chinese authorities are trying to increase number of electric vehicles in the country. China already ranks third by the number of electric vehicles after the US and the EU. In the past year the figure reached 1 million, and around 400 thousand electric vehicles were sold in 2016. The Chinese government is considering introduction of quotas for electric vehicles by 2018. According to the new...

Saudi Arabia wants oil prices to rise to around $ 60 per barrel this year, said five sources in OPEC and oil industry. UAE, Kuwait and Qatar, the largest producer in OPEC and its partners in the Persian Gulf, reckon that this mark will attract investment in new fields, yet will not result in a jump in US shale oil production, the sources said. OPEC, Russia and other oil producers in 2016 agreed...