Introduction Volatility is a key feature of financial markets. It is commonly used as a measure for risk and is a common an indicator of the investors’ fear and concern about the future. While higher volatility means bigger profits and losses in a directional strategy (one which bets on a Read more…
The Czech koruna, the currency of an economically relatively small country, recently has gained much attention by an increasing number of speculators. They have been positioning themselves to benefit from a possible appreciation of the Czech currency. For three years, the Czech National Bank (CNB) has kept the koruna above Read more…
United States The S&P 500 closed at $2,362.72, up 1.44% when compared with the beginning of the week, where opened at $2,329.11 following concerns about President Trump’s ability to secure the passage of the tax reform after failure of his healthcare reform. The other major U.S. equity indices, the Dow Read more…
Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) — market cap as of 31/03/2017: $423.03bn Introduction On March 28, 2017, American electronic e-commerce and cloud computing company Amazon.com announced its acquisition of Dubai-based Souq.com, in a move that is expected to bring a significant impact on the Middle East’s small but fast-growing e-commerce sector. According Read more…
Vodafone Group Plc (VOD:NASDAQ) – market cap as of 31/03/2017: £55.39bn ($69.48bn) Idea Cellular Ltd (IDEA:NSE) – market cap as of 31/03/2017: INR 309.51bn ($4.78bn) Introduction Vodafone Group PLC, a global provider of telecommunication services, and Idea Cellular Ltd, an Indian telecommunication company, announced their intention to join forces to Read more…
Mobileye NV (NYSE: MBLY) – market cap as of 30/03/2017: $13.63bn Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) — market cap as of 30/03/2017: $171.80bn Introduction On March 13, 2017, Intel Corporation announced the acquisition of the Israeli tech company Mobileye NV for $14.7bn. The U.S. chipmaker is paying one of the highest Read more…
The aim of this article is to give a quick taste of how it is possible to build practical codes in Python for financial application using the case of Value at Risk (VaR) calculation. The following paragraph will present a brief introduction to Python, then the article will continue with Read more…
Snap Inc. (NYSE: SNAP) – market cap as of 10/03/2017: $25.54bn Company Overview Snapchat, launched on July 2011 under the name Picaboo, defines itself as a camera company. However, most of us identify Snap as a multimedia application for image messaging. Before the app became widely known, other social media Read more…
Standard Life plc (SL.: LSE) – market cap as of 10/03/2017: £7.52bn Aberdeen Asset Management PLC (ADN: LSE) — market cap as of 10/03/2017: £3.77bn Introduction On March 6, 2017, it was announced that Standard Life plc (“Standard Life”) has agreed to acquire Aberdeen Asset Management PLC (“Aberdeen”) in an Read more…
Peugeot SA (EPA: UG) – market cap as of 11/03/2017: €15.79bn General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) – market cap as of 11/03/2017: $55.17bn Introduction On March 6, 2017, PSA Group announced an agreement with General Motors Co. whereby the French holding will acquire GM’s Opel and Vauxhall subsidiaries, together with Read more…
United States The S&P 500 closed at $2,372.60, slightly depreciating when compared with the beginning of the week, where it was standing at $2,375.32, but still higher than the weeks’ low of $2,357.98. Similar was the fate of both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the NASDAQ, as they closed Read more…
On March 8, 2017 crude oil plummeted more than 5%, with WTI price falling through $50 a barrel for the first time since December. The sudden move was triggered by EIA reporting a massive build-up in American crude oil inventories, hitting record levels according to data going back to 1982. Read more…
In 1993 in the New York stock exchange the first Exchange Traded Fund was established. Since then, the number of ETFs has exponentially increased, and now accounts for about 4000 funds. This instrument tries to replicate an already existing benchmark with a typically small tracking error and lower cost than Read more…
Safran S.A. (EPA: SAF) – market cap as of 03/03/2017: €28.61bn Zodiac Aerospace S.A. (EPA: ZC) – market cap as of 03/03/2017: €8.03bn Introduction On January 19, 2017, the French multinational plane engine manufacturer Safran announced that it had entered into an agreement to acquire the aircraft seat supplier Zodiac Read more…
Heineken N.V. (AMS:HEIA) – market cap as of 3/3/17: €45.05bn Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd. (TYO:2504) – market cap as of 3/3/17: ¥1.82tn (€15.05bn) Introduction On February 13, 2017, Japanese brewer Kirin Holdings Company has agreed to sell its Brazilian beer business to Heineken for ¥77bn (€664m). The deal will make Read more…