Waning investment appeal will check the gold price

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Gold Price ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reserve Bank ◽  
Near Term

Significance Having lost nearly 11% in January-March 2021, gold recouped some of its losses in April-June, but recent months have seen unseasonal weakness. Impacts Gold investment lacks popularity: two weeks after announcing its relisting, Russian miner Nordgold cut its plan to list in London. India has cut import duties on gold and silver to 7.5% from 12.5% and this will provide a boost to physical markets. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe will allow miners to export a portion of their gold; this will give them funds with which to boost output. Nevada is raising taxes on gold and silver mines to fund education under a law signed in 2021; the near-term impact of this will be limited.

Rising geopolitical concerns will help gold gain more

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rates ◽  
Precious Metals ◽  
Organised Crime ◽  
Gold Price ◽  
Price Ratio ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gold Market ◽  
Reserve Bank ◽  
The Us ◽  
Copper Gold

Subject Gold market dynamics. Significance The gold price rose above 1,570 dollars per troy ounce this week for the first time since April 2013. This follows a near-20% gain last year, the largest in a decade. Moreover, this came as the dollar largely flatlined last year, and the unusual extent to which the gold price outpaced the dollar led it to a record price in many local currencies. Interest rates fell worldwide in 2019 and long positions in gold, which benefit when it increases in value, tripled compared to the 2014-18 average. Impacts Stoking interest in the market, the Reserve Bank of India is offering senior gold bonds yielding 2.5%, and discounts for online buyers. A headwind is US prosecutors' labelling JP Morgan’s precious metals desk a 'criminal enterprise', a term often linked to organised crime. The cryptocurrency market is seeing the issuance of gold-backed tokens surge; Tether Gold is 100% backed by bullion reserves. Gold is benefiting from the growth in wireless applications for 5G infrastructure, offsetting demand losses from other tech applications. The copper-gold price ratio will rise if US-China trade conflict eases before the US election, but US rate cuts could curb copper’s gain.

Demobilisation will be a long-term challenge in Libya

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Armed Groups ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Near Term ◽  
The Many ◽  
Financial Arrangements

Significance Although a ceasefire has been in place since October 2020, very little has been done during that time to integrate or demobilise the many armed forces and groups that exist across the country. The obstacles are formidable. Impacts Significant demobilisation and reintegration will not happen in the near term. Local security will continue to rest on fragile political and financial arrangements between armed groups and governing authorities. The current high levels of oil and gas revenue will tend to discourage unrest.

Multiteam systems as integrated networks for engaging ambidexterity as dynamic capabilities

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin P. Dean
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Dynamic Environment ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Integrated Networks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Systems Model ◽  
Near Term

PurposeThis inquiry aims to determine the features and mechanisms that specially enable a multiteam system (MTS) to develop ambidexterity that can deal effectively with rapid changes in dynamic environments. The MTS is an emerging organizational unit comprised of tightly integrated networks of teams that may originate from one or more firms. The inquiry also considered how an MTS can engage those features and mechanisms to maximize ambidexterity as dynamic capabilities for increased innovation and long-term adaptation under complex, volatile conditions.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual inquiry integrates the emerging research on MTSs with theory and studies relating to ambidexterity and dynamic capabilities. This inquiry focuses on the attributes and linkages that specially characterize an MTS. It analyzes these to determine the key mechanisms and interactions enabling and engaging ambidexterity at MTS unit level.FindingsMTSs can engage powerful mechanisms for ambidexterity functioning as dynamic capabilities at meso-organizational level. The attributes and linkages that distinguish an MTS from other units enable it to deal effectively and efficiently with near-term task demands by simultaneously balancing the essential tasks of exploration and exploitation, and by being able to rapidly adapt by reconfiguring taskwork and reallocating resources as required for sustainable innovation and long-term success within a dynamic environment.Practical implicationsThis inquiry provides valuable insights for designing MTSs that are equipped with selected teams, flexible memberships, specialized skills and permeable interfaces. Autonomy for an MTS allows the unit to span internal and external organizational boundaries to gain access to new discoveries and to exchange information and material resources for increased innovation. Ambidexterity as dynamic capabilities facilitates exploitation of current resources by efficiently reconfiguring taskwork and reallocating materials for adaptation and competitive advantage.Originality/valueThis inquiry appears to represent the most integrative effort to examine the underexplored potential of MTSs for developing and engaging ambidexterity functioning as dynamic capabilities. The inquiry appears to be a first effort at articulating a concept of MTS ambidexterity distinct from organizational ambidexterity. The analysis synthesizes a systems model that guides organizational leaders and opens new opportunities for future research.

Trusting records: is Blockchain technology the answer?

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Louise Lemieux
Keyword(s):  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Records Management ◽  
Infrastructure Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Registry System ◽  
Original Analysis ◽  
Management Controls ◽  
Near Term

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the value of Blockchain technology as a solution to creating and preserving trustworthy digital records, presenting some of the limitations, risks and opportunities of the approach. Design/methodology/approach The methodological approach involves using the requirements embedded in records management and digital preservation standards, specifically ISO 15,489, ARMA’s Generally Accepted Recordkeeping Principles, ISO 14,721 and ISO 16,363, as a general evaluative framework for a risk-based assessment of a specific proposed implementation of Blockchain technology for a land registry system in a developing country. Findings The results of the analysis suggest that Blockchain technology can be used to address issues associated with information integrity in the present and near term, assuming proper security architecture and infrastructure management controls. It does not, however, guarantee reliability of information in the first place, and would have several limitations as a long-term solution for maintaining trustworthy digital records. Originality/value This paper contributes an original analysis of the application of Blockchain technology for recordkeeping.

Amtek Auto debacle: financial statement analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Asheesh Pandey
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Financial Statement Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
Reserve Bank ◽  
Financial Decision ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
A Company

Learning outcomes The learning outcomes are as follows: developing an understanding of financial statement analysis among students; students would be able to calculate various ratios, understand their meaning and interpret them to take a financial decision; and exploring the relationship between financial leverage and risk. Case overview/synopsis Amtek Auto is a leading auto-components manufacturer established in 1988 which entered into bankruptcy in through the order of Reserve Bank of India in 2017. The company started with a humble beginning and later on the promoter decided to expand exponentially both through organic as well as inorganic growth in past 15 years. To grow a company kept on taking debt which made it riskier and deteriorated its financial position over a period. The case covers a 10-year timeline from 2008 to 2017. It gives an opportunity to analyze its financial statements to understand how its decisions shaped its performance Complexity academic level The case aims for students to take a comprehensive view of the financial statement analysis of Amtek Auto including the following: vertical and horizontal analysis; comprehensive ratio analysis including liquidity, profitability, leverage and turnover ratios with special emphasis on debt as a double-edged sword; analysis of Armtek Auto’s financial performance over a period of 10 years. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 1: Accounting and Finance.

Kokang conflict will damage China-Myanmar ties

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Peace Process ◽  
Institutional Culture ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ethnic Chinese ◽  
Rebel Groups ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
National League ◽  
Rebel Group ◽  
Near Term

Subject The fallout from the violence in Kokang. Significance On February 9, fighting broke out in Kokang between Myanmar's military ('Tatmadaw') and rebel group the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), which fights for greater autonomy within Myanmar. Kokang, in northern Shan State, borders China. Most Kokang people are ethnic Chinese and many speak Mandarin. Myanmar's government faces two problems: a peace process with ethnic armed rebel groups that is now adrift, and a sudden spike in frictions with Beijing while large numbers of refugees seek sanctuary in China. Impacts Absent a change in the institutional culture, the Tatmadaw will be wary of negotiating with the rebels. In the near term, further bilateral government-rebel peace deals are more likely than a nationwide deal. The opposition National League for Democracy will try to avoid dealing publically with Kokang if possible.

Chinese state land ownership speeds up development

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Land Ownership ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Property Development ◽  
Fiscal Stimulus ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Land User ◽  
Perverse Incentives ◽  
Near Term ◽  
The Government

Subject State land ownership and the implications for development in China. Significance The government owns all land in China -- one of the reasons that the country claims still to be a 'socialist' state, despite the role of markets in most areas of the economy. A de facto land lease system has emerged in which land 'use rights' are traded. However, the rights of the owner -- the state or local government -- take precedence over the rights of the land user. As a result, requisitioning land for infrastructure or property development is much faster than in countries with a genuine land market. Impacts In the near term, local authorities' easy access to land will make infrastructure-based fiscal stimulus measures faster to execute. The tight timeframes of China's urbanisation goals are more plausible given the government's powers over land. Local governments' power to expropriate land creates perverse incentives and opportunities for corruption. Reforms to make the system more market-oriented are likely in the long term, but will be gradual.

Political pressure mounts on Japanese media

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Prime Minister ◽  
Freedom Of Expression ◽  
Press Freedom ◽  
Political Pressure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Media ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Media ◽  
Near Term ◽  
The Government

Significance The issue of media independence has become a fraught one under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration, with perceptions rising among journalists and the public that the government is subjecting the media to political pressure. Critics of the administration speak of censorship and threats to freedom of expression. Japan's ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has fallen from 22nd in 2011-12, before Abe took office, to 61st in 2015. Impacts The government seems likely to try to marginalise the criticisms of constitutional scholars, like it marginalises its other critics. International media as well as domestic journalists are likely to feel some pressure from the authorities. In the near term, the issue is unlikely to destabilise the government, or derail passage of security legislation.

Russia prioritises ties with West despite its rhetoric

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Economic Cooperation ◽  
Security Threats ◽  
Donald Trump ◽  
The West ◽  
Policy Document ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Near Term

Subject Russia's new foreign policy document. Significance A new foreign policy concept presents Russia as a nation facing a range of security threats but nevertheless willing to play a global role in a multipolar, chaotic and unpredictable world. Replacing the 2013 foreign policy concept, the document also attempts to assuage fears of Russian expansionist intent. Impacts Assumptions about the United States may change rapidly under President Donald Trump. Moscow will strengthen its foothold in Syria as a bargaining chip with the West and to show its resolve not to back down under pressure. Russia will refuse to relax control over Ukraine's eastern regions. Asian policy will consist partly of courting China and partly of seeking alliances to counterbalance this. Economic cooperation with Japan will be constrained by lack of a near-term deal on territorial issues.

Uruguay's economy will avoid recession, narrowly

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Near Term ◽  
The Government ◽  
Foreign Ministers ◽  
Cellulose Plant ◽  
Economic Outlook

Subject The near-term economic outlook. Significance The statist model preferred by the governing Frente Amplio (FA) coalition clashes with the plan designed by President Tabare Vazquez and his economy and foreign ministers, Danilo Astori and Rodolfo Nin Novoa respectively, to try to attract greater inward investment. This adds to intra-coalition tensions after the defection of a centre-left legislator caused the government to lose its congressional majority. Impacts The fear of losing support may help to concentrate FA minds on smoothing over party splits. A new cellulose plant would boost economic growth but not diversification. The economy will avoid recession, but growth will not pick up strongly in the near term.

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