Sandor predicts a U.S. water futures market
By Lucy Ren Known for his invention of financial futures and carbon trading, environmental economist Richard Sandor predicted on Tuesday that Western drought will lead to the launch of a U.S. water futures market as soon as the next year. Scarce resources like water and air will replace crude oil as the most important commodities of the 21st […]
Despite 6 years of underperformance, hedge funds still popular among University endowments
By Lucy Ren Despite scrutiny over hedge funds’ underperformance since the financial crisis, large university endowment funds like that of Northwestern University are still holding on to — if not raising — their stakes in “alternative investments,” which are usually prone to high risk but often perform better than equities. Under the backdrop of soaring global equities […]
Experts: recent spikes in stocks to further boost interest in China funds
By Lucy Ren Despite recent slowdowns in the Chinese economy’s growth rate and persisting market vulnerability, the Chinese stock market has rallied to a seven-year high. Market experts anticipate greater momentum for growth and interest in the Chinese market despite its irrational nature. In May the Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index bounded up 8.3 percent […]
High profile ‘spoofing’ cases put traders on edge
By Lucy Ren Traders are on notice and looking for ways to avoid even the appearance of being market manipulators as prosecutors and regulators crack down on spoofing, an illegal practice that was blamed in part for setting off a “flash crash” in 2010. Spoofing involves pushing a market price in one direction by entering […]
Experts divided on whether oil ETFs could exacerbate oil price swings
By Lucy Ren Oil exchange-traded funds, a type of marketable security that mostly invest in oil derivatives, has gained immense popularity from recent rounds of oil price swings. However, market experts are still unsettled about whether the rising popularity of oil ETFs could have exacerbated the fluctuations in the price of oil.
Oil price rebound continues despite boost in oil supply
By Lucy Ren Oil prices rose slightly on Wednesday despite a government report showing a spike in oil supply in the U.S. in the most recent week. U.S. crude inventory rose by 5.3 million barrels to 489 million in the week ended April 17, marking the highest level of supply in at least the last 80 […]
Is it time for portfolio managers to hedge?
By Lucy Ren Shirley Luo, 29 years old, has been with Goldman Sachs since 2007. A vice president in the distressed-debt trading group, Luo recently quit the prestigious company this year, to join a start-up hedge fund. Luo’s career change is not unique in the investment banking industry. She said six or seven in her […]
Stocks hold onto gains after FOMC minutes
By Lucy Ren Stocks rose Wednesday as minutes from last month’s Federal Reserve policy meeting revealed little that would change expectations on interest rates.
Video: Do we need another t-shirt printer? Yes!
By Lucy Ren Within three years of operation, Lucky Prints LLC, a custom apparel printing shop located in the industrial district in Nearwest Chicago, has expanded its production line to twice as large, and increased its revenue by 25 percent last year. “It’s a pretty competitive industry, surprisingly,” said Adam Smith, co-founder of Lucky Prints. […]
Change of auditor delays earnings results for ITT Educational
By Lucy Ren Lagging behind in releasing its earnings for two consecutive quarters, ITT Educational Services Inc., one of the largest for-profit education providers in the country, is under a cloud that obscures its corporate outlook. Michael Tarkan, analyst at Compass Point Research & Trading, said his firm suspended its target price recommendation for ITT […]
