Member News

UBP IAS | Update: Asset Class Outlook October 2020

As we enter the last quarter of what has turned out to be an eventful year, cross-asset class investors continue their search for the ‘best’ asset class. Without  a crystal ball, it appears impossible to answer where this will be with any degree of advance certainty. It is therefore crucial to diversify by blending asset classes ideally including those which offer a positive yield. The way the blend evolves over time is key for future risk-adjusted returns. Even if the...

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Member News

Troutman Pepper | A New Wave of Board Diversity Derivative Litigation

With a hot national spotlight on issues of racial diversity, equality, and inclusion, the composition of corporate boards of directors is facing increased scrutiny from the American public, legislators and the plaintiffs’ bar. The plaintiffs’ bar fired their first shot in July 2020 with a shareholder derivative complaint against the board of a Fortune 100 company, followed in quick succession by additional derivative lawsuits against the boards of a number of public companies that allegedly lack any racially diverse...

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Member News

ACG Resources | Unemployment is high. Why is no one applying?

The job market has shifted tremendously in 2020. Frequently, hiring managers and decision-makers ask our team, "With unemployment being so high, where are all the candidates?" or "Why should I hire a recruiter when unemployment is so high? Can't I just post the job and have my pick of candidates?" Let’s take a look at these questions. The first thing we suggest is to look at the industry you are in. We are in unprecedented times and facing statistics and...

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Member News

Mind the gap: Latin America has a COVID-19 cash gap

This article was first published in Reuters Breakingviews | Latin America’s Covid-19 crisis demands a more ambitious response from governments and the international community. The pandemic is shining a light on underlying economic vulnerabilities that have hindered the region’s efforts to contain the disease. Without additional funding, the eventual recovery may also suffer. The region’s five largest economies combined – namely, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina – registered 7.7 million cases of Covid-19 and hundreds of thousands of deaths, as...

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Member News

Wirecard is a wake-up call on regulatory weakness

This article by William R. Rhodes was first published in TheBanker | There is no room for apathy where regulators are involved; we need an investigation into Wirecard, however embarrassing and painful it may be. The lion’s share of the blame for the $2.1bn fraud and collapse of Wirecard rests with its board, ex-CEO, chief financial officer and senior leaders. The supervisory and executive boards failed to oversee the firm’s performance or ask the right critical questions. Why were they so lax? German...

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Chapter News

Baltic Sea fishing: Council of the EU agrees on 2021 catch limits

Today, the Council reached an agreement on next year's fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea, focusing on fish stock recovery. Ministers agreed to continue decreasing the fishing opportunities for several fish stocks in the Baltic Sea to help them recover. Ministers decided to continue the closure of the Eastern Baltic cod fishery and to provide only a by-catch quota, which was again significantly reduced compared to last year's. The biggest cuts in the total allowable catches (TACs) were for the herring of the Western and...

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Chapter News

Council of the EU agrees its position on the next EU common agricultural policy

Today, the Council agreed its negotiating position (general approach) on the post-2020 common agricultural policy (CAP) reform package. This agreed position puts forward some strong commitments from member states for higher environmental ambition with instruments like mandatory eco-schemes (a novelty compared to the current policy) and enhanced conditionality. At the same time, the agreed position allows member states to have the necessary flexibility in how they would reach environmental goals. For instance, there would be a two-year pilot phase...

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Chapter News

European Commission issues first emission of EU SURE social bonds

The European Commission issued a €17 billion inaugural social bond under the EU SURE instrument to help protect jobs and keep people in work. The issuing consisted of two bonds, with €10 billion due for repayment in October 2030 and €7 billion due for repayment in 2040. There was very strong investor interest in this highly rated instrument, and the bonds were more than 13 times oversubscribed, resulting in favourable pricing terms for both bonds. President of the European Commission...

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Member News

EY | Eight key issues for 2020 US elections

With US voters beginning to cast ballots, many are seeking to gauge how the results of the 2020 US elections will shape the US legislative and regulatory environment on a range of issues affecting workers, companies and the economy; as well as environmental issues, global trade and supply chains. Election day outcomes will determine US government approaches to a host of pressing public policy challenges and provide the path forward on many significant issues for years to come. This publication...

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Chapter News, COVID-19 News

Coronavirus: EU interoperability gateway goes live, first contact tracing and warning apps linked to the system

To exploit the full potential of contact tracing and warning apps to break the chain of coronavirus infections across borders and save lives, the Commission, at the invitation by EU Member States, has set up an EU-wide system to ensure interoperability – a so-called ‘gateway'. After a successful pilot phase, the system goes live today with the first wave of national apps now linked through this service: Germany's Corona-Warn-App, Ireland's COVID tracker, and Italy's immuni. Together, these apps have been...

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