SEC Gives Companies OK to Use Social Media
WASHINGTON — The Securities and Exchange Commission will allow public companies to make significant announcements on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites provided they alert investors which sites they intend to use. The decision announced Tuesday allows companies to use social media in place of more formal websites. The question arose after Netflix Inc. CEO Reed Hastings said on his Facebook page in July that subscribers together watched more than 1 billion hours of video for the first time during June, the agency said. (MORE: How the Great Recession Changed Our Spending Habits) An SEC rule requires that all investors receive significant company information at the same time. By allowing businesses to use more informal channels to share news with investors, the SEC is acknowledging the shift in technology that has made social media indispensable for the largest and most powerful corporations. One key requirement is that companies alert investors in press releases or regulatory ...
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Cyprus Banks Re-Open; Limits on Transactions
(NICOSIA, Cyprus) — Banks in Cyprus have reopened to customers for the first time in nearly two weeks, with customers now able to access their accounts, albeit with strict restrictions on transactions. Large lines had formed outside some bank branches, particularly those of Laiki, which is to be restructured, before they opened at noon (1000 GMT) Thursday. Some Laiki branches in central Nicosia had not opened exactly on time, with customers waiting patiently outside. Banks have been shut since March 16 while politicians wrangled over how to come up with enough funds to qualify for an international bailout. That agreement was finally reached in Brussels early Monday. Cypriots get their first chance to access their savings in almost two weeks when the country’s banks reopen Thursday — albeit with strict restrictions on transactions — after being closed due to the country’s acute financial crisis. Queues were starting to form outside banks Thursday morning ahead of the official opening ...
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Cyprus Bailout Prompts Muted Relief in Markets
(LONDON) — The rally in stock markets in the wake of the Cypriot bailout deal proved short-lived Monday as investors remained cautious following a crisis that laid bare the scale of problems surrounding Europe‘s single currency. In the immediate aftermath of the deal between the Mediterranean island nation and international creditors, stocks rallied strongly and the euro edged back up above the $1.30 mark. But as the day wore on, the optimism was running dry. Though Cyprus’ bailout deal will prevent it becoming the first country to ditch the euro, investor worries over Europe’s common currency remain, not least because the deal sanctions raiding bank deposits. (MORE: Cyprus Rescue: The Destruction of a Tax Haven) “The Cypriot bailout has a powerful legacy which may alter the security with which depositors elsewhere in the eurozone view the safety of banks,” said Jane Foley, an analyst at Rabobank International. “It has also reportedly uncovered a lack of harmony.” In Europe, ...
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Cypriot Lawmakers Gear Up for Deposit Levy Vote
(NICOSIA, Cyprus and LONDON) — Cyprus’ president is briefing lawmakers ahead of a crucial parliamentary vote on a controversial levy on bank deposits that the cash-strapped country’s creditors have demanded in exchange for a (EURO)10 billion ($13 billion) rescue package. Police cordoned off the road in front of the parliament on Monday amid heightened security to prevent any protesters from approaching the building and interrupting discussions inside. (MORE: Why Cyprus Is The E.U. ‘Rescue’ That Risks Backfiring) Many lawmakers have said they would vote down the 6.75 percent levy on all bank deposits under (EURO)100,000 and 9.9 percent on everything above. President Nicos Anastasiades has warned that rejection would mean Cyprus’ bankruptcy and a possible exit from the euro. But Cypriot officials are trying to reduce the levy for small savers as much as possible with a corresponding rise for deposits of over (EURO)100,000. Stocks around the world fell sharply Monday as investors ...
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Is Asia Heading for a Debt Crisis?
Of the many reasons why Asia (outside of Japan) weathered the Great Recession more ably than other parts of the world, one of the most important was the fact that the region never experienced a financial crisis. The banks of Asia generally avoided indulging in the toxic sub-prime securities that tanked some of Wall Street’s most famous institutions. Part of the reason was they could earn real returns in their core business – lending to expanding companies in their high-growth home economies. The banks, too, had also learned a lesson – a painful lesson – from the 1997 Asian financial crisis about the dangers of risky lending and unsustainable debt, and had become more conservative than they had been in the past. Government officials in Asia, as well, tend to take an old-fashioned attitude on budget spending and borrowing (again, outside of Japan), and they, unlike their counterparts in Europe, were able to stimulate their economies without undercutting their solvency. Now, however, ...
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