Resistance

Federal Bank VP: Bitcoin Threat Means Banks Must ‘Adapt or Die’

"On 31st March, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis – one of the 12 Federal Reserve banks – held a talk on bitcoin from a banking and economic viewpoint. The session, entitled ‘Bitcoin and Beyond: The Possibilities and the Pitfalls of Virtual Currencies’, was presented by economist David Andolfatto, who is Vice President at the bank and a professor at Simon Fraser University. Andolfatto is sure that, ultimately, new systems will upend the monetary hierarchy of today – eventually forcing substantial changes within the banking and payments industry." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal Bank VP: Bitcoin Threat Means Banks Must ‘Adapt or Die’

Canadian Government to Divest ‘MintChip’ Digital Currency Program

"The Canadian government has announced that it will end its MintChip electronic payment system, and that it will look to sell the business to the private sector. Announced in 2012, MintChip was not a digital currency akin to bitcoin, but rather a digital payment mechanism meant to function as an electronic cash that could be transferred between users. MintChip used a silicon chip with a unique ID as a store of value, which was then to be sent to brokers who would trade them to consumers and businesses. Users could embed MintChip devices onto USB sticks, wallets, laptops and tablets, or store their digital cash with a third-party service provider." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCanadian Government to Divest ‘MintChip’ Digital Currency Program

Bank of Montreal CEO: Bank is open to Bitcoin, conditionally

"If it was reliable and if it was regulated, 'then there’s no reason why we couldn’t be an intermediary in bitcoin-related transactions,' Bill Downe said in an interview after the company’s annual general meeting in Toronto. 'Because, if you wanted a Swiss franc transaction or a Japanese yen transaction or a U.S. dollar transaction, we can do that transaction for you,' he said. 'If bitcoin [can be] a reliable medium of exchange, then at that point in the future, we would be able to [conduct business] with bitcoin.' So far, however, almost every major banking chief in North America has either stayed mum on, or openly derided, the currency. Canada’s banking watchdog said it does not regulate bitcoin." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBank of Montreal CEO: Bank is open to Bitcoin, conditionally

Yellen Surprise Suggests Investors Should Go On Defense

"Comments this week from Janet Yellen, who just took over as Fed chair, caught many in the market off guard when she suggested the central bank may be in a position to raise its key interest rate as soon as six months after ending its massive bond-buying stimulus. That could put the first rate hike on the table by the spring of 2015 compared with previous expectations for no sooner than the second half of the year. Indeed, rate futures markets now assign a 52 percent probability to the Fed's April 2015 meeting for the first rate hike versus just a 33 percent chance a month ago. Stocks such as utilities could be an option to steer clear of some of the hotter stocks and sectors of 2013 that are now richly valued." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingYellen Surprise Suggests Investors Should Go On Defense

Fund Manager Jeremy Grantham Blasts the Fed

"The Fed can manipulate stock prices. That's perhaps the only thing they can do. But why would you want to get an advantage from the wealth effect when you know you are going to have to give it all back when the Fed reverses course. At the same time, the Fed encourages steady increasing leverage and more asset bubbles. It's clear to most investing professionals that they can benefit from an asymmetric bet here. The Fed gives them very cheap leverage on the upside, and then bails them out on the downside. And you should have more confidence of that now. The only ones who have really benefited from QE are hedge fund managers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFund Manager Jeremy Grantham Blasts the Fed

Wal-Mart sues Visa for $5 billion over card swipe fees

"Wal-Mart Stores Inc this week sued Visa Inc for $5 billion, accusing the credit and debit card network of excessively high card swipe fees, several months after the retailer opted out of a class action settlement between merchants and Visa and MasterCard Inc. In December, a federal judge in Brooklyn, N.Y., approved a $5.7 billion class action settlement between merchants and Visa and MasterCard despite the objections of thousands of retailers that complained it was inadequate. Wal-Mart, Amazon.com Inc, and Target Corp were among those opting out of the monetary components of the settlement to have the freedom to seek damages on their own." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWal-Mart sues Visa for $5 billion over card swipe fees

Cyprus abolishes maximum daily cash withdrawal limits

"In a decree issued by the finance ministry, the 300 euro limit per person per day was scrapped, along with restrictions on breaking fixed-interest time deposits prior to maturity. The decree also allowed, under conditions, individuals to open bank accounts in other credit institutions. Restrictions remain on moving money abroad. Cypriot officials have previously said they anticipate that all controls could be fully lifted by the end of 2014. Cyprus was forced to wind down a major bank and convert large deposits in a second to recapitalise it in order to qualify for aid from the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCyprus abolishes maximum daily cash withdrawal limits

Putin spokesman: S&P’s downgrade of Russia’s rating was directive

"Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said the downgrade of Russia’s rating outlook by the Standard & Poor’s ratings agency was due to a directive rather than objective circumstances. The downgrade decision 'was clearly directive, not objective,' Peskov told journalists Friday, adding that such forecasts reduce the degree of credibility of such agencies. On March 20, S&P said it revised its outlook on the Russian Federation to negative from stable. Fitch Ratings on Thursday revised the outlook on Russia's long-term foreign and local currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDR) to negative from stable and affirmed the IDRs at 'BBB'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPutin spokesman: S&P’s downgrade of Russia’s rating was directive

Putin eyes a Russian credit card system after Western sanctions

"President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said Russia should create its own national payment settlement system, in a bid to reduce economic dependence on the West amid the controversy over Moscow's seizure of Crimea. In countries such as Japan and China these systems work, and work very well,' Putin told lawmakers in televised remarks. Initially, they started out solely as national systems limited to their own markets, their own territory, their own population but they are becoming more popular right now.' 'Why should we not do it? We should definitely do it and we will do it,' he said, noting that Russia's Central Bank and the government have been looking into the matter." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPutin eyes a Russian credit card system after Western sanctions

How rumor sparked panic and three-day bank run in Chinese city

"The rumor spread quickly. A small rural lender in eastern China had turned down a customer's request to withdraw 200,000 yuan ($32,200). Bankers and local officials say it never happened, but true or not the rumor was all it took to spark a run on a bank as the story passed quickly from person to person, among depositors, bystanders and even bank employees. Savers feared the bank in Yancheng, a city in Sheyang county, had run out of money and soon hundreds of customers had rushed to its doors demanding the withdrawal of their money despite assurances from regulators and the central bank that their money was safe." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow rumor sparked panic and three-day bank run in Chinese city