The growth of financial conglomerates, offering a range of services hitherto unprecedented, has caused problems for regulators. While conglomerates bring with them many economic benefits (diversification of risk, economies of scope, etc), they also impose costs (systemic risk and conflict of interest abuses). This book explores ways in which regulators can ensure that the regulation imposed is sufficiently strong to eradicate these abuses, but at the same time sufficiently flexible to allow the benefits of conglomeration to be secured. The Chinese Wall-a regulatory mechanism aimed at stemming the flow of information from one department in a firm to another, and reconciling conflicts of interest more generally-is singled out for special treatment. The legal position of the device, which has become all the more important in the wake of the recent Law Commission inquiry into the relationship between the Financial Services Act 1986 (and the rules made under it) and the general law, is considered in detail. The author argues that an effective Chinese Wall will, in most cases, be legally sufficient to absolve a firm from potential liability at general law, but that there are situations where Chinese Walls are not satisfactory. Here the conglomerate will have to suffer the commercial disadvantages of being a fiduciary by adopting a different, albeit more restrictive, regulatory option.

Longtime friend and advisor to ordinary investors Burton G. Malkiel, together with a carefully selected team of coauthors, now gives them an investment strategy for accessing the world's fastest-growing economy. Drawing from the author team's on-the-ground experience in China, From Wall Street to the Great Wall details how average investors can tap into the opportunities China affords. Inside, readers will find: A compact tour of five hundred years of Chinese history and culture that offers readers a footing in this unique investing environment, with special emphasis on the Mao years and the rise of the reformist government of Deng Xiaoping, A hype-free, in-depth investigation of the Chinese stock market, estimating its efficiency and highlighting the best bets among Chinese firms and industries, Substantial coverage of the multinational corporations in the United States and elsewhere that stand to benefit from China's explosive growth, Overviews of the markets for commodities, real estate, and art and collectibles, as Malkiel leaves no investment possibility unexamined, Four fully realized and detailed investment strategies for China, drawn from Malkiel's broad experience and proven investment track record. Book jacket.

The last couple of years, financial conglomerates have been established all over Europe. This horizontal diversification has not only attracted a great deal of attention in the banking and insurance sector but has also alarmed the supervisory authorities and the European Commission. Although the benefits of financial conglomerates are straightforward, it is clear that quite a number of potential risks can not be ignored. Since the phenomenon of "financial conglomeration" is rather new, the regulators do not possess a great deal of objective, scientific reference bases on which to construct the necessary regulations. Moreover the complexities and specific char acteristics of the financial conglomerates do not permit a simple extrapolation of the rules for industrial conglomerates. Even the extrapolation of banking regula tions to insurance groups and vice versa poses a lot of difficult questions. These observations lie at the origin of the research carried out at the Erasmus Finance and Insurance Centre (EPIC at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam), in collaboration with the Impulse Centre for Financial Services and Insurance (ALEA at the Vlerick School of Management of the University of Ghent). To confront the research results with the expertise of the business world and the supervisory authorities a workshop was organised in Rotterdam (1994). This publication is partly based on these research results and the workshop discussions. Three main blocs can be distinguished: the definition of financial conglomerates; the potential risks and the regulatory aspects; the strategic issues.

'One of the clearest and most thorough statements of an argument often made about the country: that its government has relied on constant stimulus to keep growth strong, an addiction that is bound to backfire. Second, he comes closer than any previous writer to covering the Chinese economy as Michael Lewis, the hugely popular author of The Big Short, might do. His analysis is informed but accessible, animated by anecdotes and characters, some colourful, some verging on tragic . . . McMahon is among the most compelling of the many analysts who conclude that China's economic miracle will end painfully' The Economist The world has long considered China a juggernaut of economic strength, but since the global financial crisis, the country's economy has ballooned in size, complexity, and risk. Once dominated by four state-owned banks, the nation's financial system is a tangle of shadow banking entities, informal financial institutions, and complex corporate funding arrangements that threaten growth, stability, and reform efforts. The country has accumulated so much debt so quickly that economists increasingly predict a financial crisis that could make 'Brexit' or Greece's economic ruin seem minor, and could undermine China's ascent as a superpower. Earlier this year, President Xi Jinping issued an urgent call for reform that gives the country until 2020 to transform its economy - a vaguely-defined objective that most economists agree is unrealistic. Whether or not China will be responsible for the next global recession, as some experts forecast, the fate of its economy will have far-reaching consequences for the rest of the world. Yet the inner workings of China's financial system are still very much a mystery to most outsiders. Now more than ever, as the country's slowing economy is being felt around the globe, it is essential to understand how China allowed its economy to become so mired in debt. China's Great Wall of Debt is a penetrating examination of the country's opaque financial system and the complex factors - demographic shifts; urbanization; industrialization; a pervasive over-reliance on debt-fueled investments - that have brought the country to the brink of crisis. Anchored by stories of China's cities and its people; from factory workers and displaced farmers to government officials and entrepreneurs, the narrative will take readers inside the country's ghost cities, zombie companies, start-ups, and regulatory institutions as McMahon explains how things got so bad, why fixing the problems is so hard, and what the economic outlook means for China and for the rest of us.

Along with the gospel of globalization that transforms the world financial markets by desegmentation, marketisation and transnationalisation, an age of financial giants is forthcoming in most of the economies around the globe, either emerging or mature. The emergence of financial conglomerates in different countries can be interpreted by the similar considerations. However, similar reasons do not necessarily lead to the similar appearance of financial conglomerates. The structures of financial conglomerates and the corresponding regulatory organizations differ from country to country and even from one conglomerate to another.In line with its economic framework and developmental stage, China also has its own characteristic financial conglomerates, although they are now at their initiative step and the number is quite small comparing to the huge size of financial market. Ironically, according to the institutionally specialized financial legislations, these conglomerates are rather ropedancers performing on the verge of quot;legitimate cliffquot; or even between the gap of lawful and unlawful, since banks, securities firms and insurance companies are separately capitalized and strictly confined to respective sectors.Lack of specific regulation on financial conglomerates in China does not testify the legislative vacuum in this respect, since all financial conglomerates are comprised of individual enterprises belonging to different financial sectors. However, relevant amendments of financial legislations and appropriate adjustments in regulatory infrastructure seem necessary and inevitable. This article attempts to explore the proper measures and tactics concerning financial conglomerates that may be undertaken by Chinese regulators and supervisors on the basis of present presence of financial conglomerates, current legislative structures and instructive international experiences.

This work offers a comprehensive examination of the development and structure of the provisions for the control of international financial markets. It explores the background to the major financial crises of the late 20th-century and the nature of the global response.

The Research Handbook on Fiduciary Law offers specially commissioned chapters written by leading scholars and covers a wide range of important topics in fiduciary law. Topical contributions discuss: various fiduciary relationships; the duty of loyalty and other fiduciary obligations; fiduciary remedies; the role of equity; the role of trust; international and comparative perspectives; and public fiduciary law. This Research Handbook will be of interest to readers concerned with both theory and practice, as it incorporates significant new insights and developments in the field.