Watt report suggests financial incentives for measuring research impact

Dec 04, 2015 11:27 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

A government report on research funding and policy recommends introducing a financial incentive to ensure university research benefits society and business. The report by Ian Watt, a former secretary of the Department...

EURO acting hyper after ECB’s rate decision, gains seem to be unsustainable

Dec 03, 2015 13:56 pm UTC| Insights & Views

The ECBs cut in the depo rate was largely anticipated about 15 bps after President Draghi mentioned at the October press conference that such an option had been discussed already at that time, and as other board members...

FxWirePro: Gold gains after ECB’s deposit rate cut - Stay hedged with options strips

Dec 03, 2015 13:16 pm UTC| Insights & Views

ECB cuts of deposit rates to negative 0.3% from minus 0.2% are cushioning a bit in gold prices, while the ECB left its key lending rate unchanged at 0.05%.Bullion has lost nearly 7% of its value in November, its biggest...

Currency War Series

Why interest rates are taking divergent paths in Europe and the US

Dec 03, 2015 12:10 pm UTC| Insights & Views Central Banks

The prospect that the central banks of the US and the eurozone will soon make opposing moves on policy rates has allowed financial markets once again to demonstrate their neuroses. Some market participants are expecting...

The slow-burn, devastating impact of tobacco plain packs

Dec 03, 2015 09:57 am UTC| Insights & Views Health

It is three years since Australia fully implemented its historic tobacco plain packaging law. From December 1, 2012, all tobacco products have been required to be sold in the mandated standardised packs, which, with their...

Greens deal with government unveils tax affairs of some private companies

Dec 03, 2015 09:42 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

A last-minute compromise between the government and the Greens will remove the secrecy around the tax affairs of an estimated 281 private companies. The deal, however, still leaves about 600 companies with revenue of...

We want to build tiny backpacks for bees – here's why

Dec 03, 2015 09:33 am UTC| Insights & Views

An exciting attempt to help honey bees has come about thanks to an unlikely intellectual marriage. One of us is an ecologist who wants to keep an eye on individual bees over their entire two to three-mile range and monitor...