Security Data Edge

In our times of Big Data for big rewards, at least potentially, there's also the threat of big security issues surrounding that massive wealth of information. This videos highlights this and reminds us all to the need for security. FT's Connected Business talks to Vijay Raghavan, Chief Technology Officer at LexisNexis and this companny approach which tries to strike a balance between the security needs of Financial Services  companies and the required and mandatory privacy of customers.

FT on the Insurance Industry: a Webinar

The Link below gives acess to a Financial Times Webinar on the Insurance Industry that took place in the begining of this Month of July. An important part of the financial sector, this industry was particularly affected by the Financial Crisis and is trying to regain ground amidst greater difficulties. A good and knowledgeable panel is always certainly a contribution to the debates on the future of the Insurance Industry!

London Webinar | Calendar | FT Live

Opalesque TV on Reinsurance

I confess on this post that I from time to time - maybe daily at the moment - receive e-mails from Fund Management publications like Opalesque. Matthias Knab is a major editor in this publication that occasionally also sends e-mails directly to my mail box with updates from this Swiss specific publication. I present here a video in which Matthias talks with Joe Taussig CEO of Multi-Strat Holdings about why the great Fund Managers of all time as well as some prominent Hedge Funds set a Reinsurance Business. He explains the superior returns of this business relatively compared with traditional Insurance, by the manner in which so called 'Float' premium received by re-insurers is properly used to invest elsewhere and only later the business needs to pay the cost of Insurance. But he warns also that the performance isn't equal for every Fund, which tells us that experience and the right strategy continues to matter. Nevertheless it is a reminder of why the Fund Management is so competitive and the way that, and in times of difficult to get low returns, the industry should strive to get the necessary alternatives.
Mr. Taussig takes also the opportunity to reveal the way Multi-Strat Holdings will in the near future - rest of this year and next years - set its strategy concerning deploying 1 Manager a month, and in 2014 onward 2-3 Managers a month in more of an Asset Management framework, and explains the more competitive and receptive playing field for this kind of business in cities like New York or London compared to European Financial Centers.

John Kay FT Comment

It is with a mix of emotion and praise that I post here this video depicting  Dr. John Kay's comment about Quantitative Easing and our current Economic predicament. Since I was living in the UK, I tried always to read and check Dr. Kay' work and articles. He is a respected and listened economist. And quite so that it couldn't disappoint with his take on the paradoxes about the current economic policies in place to deal with the consequences of one of the major Financial & Economic downturns of our recent History. Interesting to think and reflect about the bad balance achieved so far between Fiscal Stimulus, Quantitative Easing, Monetary Policy and the urgent need for Investment and Growth. The results speak for themselves, and the savvy but gentle warning of John Kay just add value to the judgement of all.

Really impressive to me is the recognition of the paradox that, despite our economies are living with real negative interest rates (which is a form of Government subsidy), the so called needed Investment on Infrastructures and sectors of the Economy vital and Strategic to long term Growth aren't taking off. What it all seems instead is that the QE money is being wasted or hoarded by the Financial System. It begs the question: Where do we go from here?!

Green Investment in Brazil

The videos in this Post are promotional clips from the Company Energy Crops Brazil. By a fortunate happening, this company has a Facebook page that is an active member of a Group of that Social Network that deals with Investment Issues called Investment thinkers, and of course a group that I am a member as well! Hope that it is to the enjoyment of everyone and a possible spark for future Green Energy Investments in Brazil or elsewhere.

These videos are part of a list organized by Energy Crops Brazil. It is actually visible the legend in the previous clip that there are 41 videos in the List.



There is space in this Post to present three of them. Check them all here.

Occasional Dividends

From time to time I will post some interesting and opportune updates on posts from Blogs and networks dealing with Stock Dividends and Investing in Stocks that might be good value for investors interested in this kind of Investment! One of these is the Blog from Blogger The Div-Net from which I occasionally receive e-mail updates. This first suggestion concerns Wells Fargo & Co, an American Bank that is rightly associated with good value investing:

The DIV-Net - Wells Fargo

Credit where it's due

A very nice conversation is presented in this post between FT fm and Graham Nielson from London based Credit Manager Cairn Capital. We learn about what is going on in the Bond Markets, the thin value in the Credit Markets due to Quantitative Easing and the opportunity created by investor sell-off of complex structured products in a liquidity squeezing environment. When someone exits a Market, someone else will fill the void. That's just logic in the Markets as well as elsewhere....: