Academy of Economic Studies Scholarship

Munich, 16 October 2013 – There is currently a high level of uncertainty on the international financial markets, due to the budget dispute in the USA surrounding the proposed raising of the borrowing limit. The markets are waiting with bated breath to see whether the Democrats and the Republicans will be able to agree on raising the debt ceiling, which currently stands at just under 17 trillion US dollars. The key question for investors is whether the USA and other countries will be able to pay back the debts they have taken on or whether, as in the case of the debt cut in Greece, they can expect to see losses on their investments. A recent study based on sustainability rating agency oekom research’s country ratings shows that sustainability ratings are a reliable indicator of countries’ solvency and that taking sustainability ratings into account allows investors to make a better assessment of the overall risks.

Following a request from the British consulate in Shanghai, Dr. Andreas Hoepner, Associate Professor of ICMA centre, Henley Business School, made a presentation of “Sustainability Investment” to Chinese regulators and business leaders at the Association of British Insurers, 8th Oct 2013.

Senior Visiting Fellow at the ICMA Centre, Richard Comotto, will be speaking at the upcoming conference organised by the ICMA European Repo Council, titled "A collateralised future - what really happened in the repo market during the crisis and how will it cope with growing collateral demand, stagnant supply and regulatory uncertainty?". Richard Comotto will be a panellist in a workshop session titled: Is repo an unstable source of funding? The issues of procyclicality of leverage, interconnectedness, asset encumbrance, collateral re-use and fire sales.