Author: Press Room

Sun setting on SPY supremacy

Markets

Most of the 2023 outlook reports are fairly unimaginative and follow a predictable pattern. Central banks will keep hiking, recessions will follow, inflation will slow, markets will fall and then rise in the second half. But here’s a genuinely interesting prediction from The ETF Educator’s Nate Geraci: State Street’s pioneering flagship ETF — the $355bn SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust — will be supplanted by rivals from Vanguard and BlackRock by the end of the year.Here’s Geraci:Later this month, the US ETF industry turns 30 years old. The first US-listed ETF, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), launched on January…

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Thailand says no COVID-19 test needed for travellers from China

Asia

BANGKOK: Thai authorities said on Thursday (Jan 5) that travellers from China could enter the country without pre-departure coronavirus tests, hoping their return would be a shot in the arm for the country’s tourism sector recovery.China has experienced a surge in infections and its hospitals and crematoriums have been inundated after Beijing last month wound back tight restrictions.The United States, Canada, Japan and France are among the countries that have imposed new rules requiring travellers from China to provide negative COVID-19 tests as concerns grow over the spike in cases.But Thai authorities on Thursday said all countries should be treated the…

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Malaysian DPM Ahmad Zahid confident in retaining UMNO presidency if challenged

Asia

According to Ahmad Zahid, the decision on whether UMNO’s top two positions will be contested lies on its delegates who will be attending the party’s 2022 general assembly next week.  The gathering, postponed from last year, is expected to be attended by more than 5,000 delegates from Jan 11 to 14, amid calls from within UMNO for the posts of president and deputy president to be contested in the upcoming party election. Ahmad Zahid said that UMNO delegates attending the general assembly have “absolute power” to decide whether to remove the top two posts in the party election. “I believe…

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Prominent supporter of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament has slammed Facebook’s censorship of anti-Voice ads

Australia

A prominent supporter of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament has slammed Facebook’s decision to remove a series of ads attacking the proposed constitutional change.Emeritus Professor Greg Craven, a constitutional lawyer and director of the pro-Voice organisation Uphold and Recognise, said Facebook’s decision was “wrong in principle” and “extremely destructive for the Yes case.”Speaking exclusively to SkyNews.com.au, Professor Craven said it is imperative that both sides in the referendum debate are able to put forward their arguments.Stream your news live & on demand with Flash for $8/month and no lock in contracts. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends…

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China resumes international travel: Which countries are introducing new COVID restrictions?

Travel

Countries are imposing new COVID-19 measures on travellers coming from China as international travel resumes.In the EU, France, Italy, Spain and Sweden have so far stepped up rules on travellers from China in response to rising cases. While EU countries have so far failed to agree on a coordinated approach to the changing COVID-19 situation, the bloc has ‘strongly’ encouraged a negative test requirement. Other approaches may include monitoring, surveillance and sequencing for new variants; testing and vaccination requirements; and hygiene and health measures for air passengers.Italy was the first EU country to tighten restrictions, ordering COVID-19 antigen swabs and virus sequencing for…

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