Markets
India engages with US to ensure energy security
After the Trump Administration pulled out of the nuclear deal and imposed sanctions, it has also set a November 4 deadline to halt financial transactions with Iran using their currency or to face sanctions. It has also been hoping that the United States will give it some relief from the sanctions. The rupee-rial arrangement was used to purchase oil from Iran before sanctions were lifted agains... [Full Article...]
Iran asks United Nations to condemn Israeli threats
Israel has upgraded and reinforced its nuclear facilities in the wake of Iranian threats, an Israeli official said Thursday. "The United Nations' members should not turn a blind eye to these threats and must take firms actions to eliminate all Israeli nuclear weapons", Gholamali Khoshroo was quoted saying Thursday by state media in a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the UN Sec... [Full Article...]
John Hancock adds fitness tracking to all policies
All of John Hancock's policies will now be "interactive" - collecting fitness data through wearable devices like smartwatches and FitBits, according to a BBC News report. We believe offering Vitality on all life insurance policies , at no additional cost, is the right thing to do for our customers, our business and society. [Full Article...]
ORR report into timetable changes
The three-month Inquiry has found that Network Rail, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), Northern, the Department for Transport (DfT), and the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) all made mistakes, which contributed to the collapse of services, particularly on the GTR and Northern routes. [Full Article...]
UK regulator fines Equifax Ltd 500,000 pounds for 2017 security breach
The investigation also found that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had warned Equifax about a critical vulnerability as far back as March 2017 and that sufficient steps to address the vulnerability were not taken, the ICO said. This means Equifax Ltd becomes the first company to be fined the maximum permitted under the DPA. Ahead of the hack, the USA government had warned Equifax in ... [Full Article...]
United States stock benchmarks close at record highs
Stocks are at record highs. Year to date, the Nasdaq Composite has a gain of 16.71%, the S&P 500 has gained 10.95% and the Dow Jones has a return of 9.60%. Trading volume spiked to the highest level since February 9 in anticipation of the S&P 500 sector change, when telecoms will be folded into a new sector called communications services, along with heavy-hitting stocks such as Facebook In... [Full Article...]
ASIC clamps down on dodgy ICOs and crypto asset funds
In April 2018, the ASIC prevented ICOs from raising funds if they failed to comply with the necessary investor protection protocols. The Australian Securities & Investments Commission ( ASIC ) has said that initial coin offerings ( ICOs ) that target retail investors will be subject to more intense scrutiny, Reuters reported . [Full Article...]
Coles, Woolies lift milk price to help drought-stricken farmers
Lifting the price of milk to help farmers: Woolworths Group Ltd ( ASX: WOW ) has made the decision to raise the price of house brand three-litre milk by 30¢ to $3.30 at all stores nationwide to support the drought stricken dairy farmers. Australian Dairy Farmers president Terry Richardson said selling milk for less than bottled water must stop. Customers will be able to purchase the Drought Reli... [Full Article...]