Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

You Are Here: Home » Archives: December 2013

Daily Archives: December 1, 2013

Global Shadow Banking Monitoring Report 2013

by on

Financial Stability Board (FSB) published its third annual Global Shadow Banking Monitoring Report: “The report includes data from 25 jurisdictions and the euro area as a whole; these jurisdictions represent about 80% of global GDP and 90% of global financial system assets. For the first time the report also incorporates estimates from a hedge fund survey by the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). The main findings of the FSB report are:

  • On a broad estimate, the assets of non-bank financial intermediaries (excluding those of insurance companies, pension funds and public financial institutions) grew by $5 trillion in 2012 to reach $71 trillion
  • Non-bank financial intermediaries represent on average about 24% of total financial  assets, and are equivalent to about half of banking system assets and 117% of  GDP. These patterns have been relatively stable since the crisis…
  • In addition to the broad estimate of the size of non-bank financial intermediaries, this report provides a first estimate of assets that more closely relate to shadow banking activity in 20 jurisdictions for which more granular data on non-bank financial intermediaries are available. This narrow estimate filters out non-bank financial activities that have no direct relation to credit intermediation or that are prudentially consolidated into banking groups. Using these more granular data  produces for these 20 jurisdictions a narrower estimate of $35 trillion, down from $55 trillion using the broad basis. Using this narrowed-down estimate, the growth rate of non-bank financial intermediaries for this smaller sample was 2.9% in 2012.”

New on LLRX – UsBook: Toward a family-friendly Facebook alternative to preserve your memories and help future historians

by on

Via LLRX.com – UsBook: Toward a family-friendly Facebook alternative to preserve your memories and help future historians–while respecting privacy David Rothman’s commentary focuses on how the Digital Public Library of America is still on track to be a mostly academic creature despite the P word in its name. But David supports innovative, creative and value-added goals that… Continue Reading

Project ranks billions of drug interactions

by on

Drugable.com predicts mechanisms through computation: “For decades, drug development was mostly a game of trial and error, with brute-force candidate screens throwing up millions more duds than winners. Researchers are now using computers to get a head start. By analysing the chemical structure of a drug, they can see if it is likely to bind… Continue Reading

Premiums and Worker Contributions Among Workers Covered by Employer-Sponsored Coverage, 1999-2013

by on

Kaiser Foundation: “Since 1999 the Employer Health Benefits Survey has documented trends in the employer-sponsored health insurance market. Every year about two thousand private and non-federal public employers with three or more employees have completed the full survey.  Among other topics, the survey asks firms for the premium or full per person cost of their… Continue Reading

NPR – U.S. Offers To Destroy Some Of Syria’s Chemical Weapons

by on

Eyder Peralta: “The United States has offered to destroy some of Syria’s chemical weapons, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said in a statement on Friday. The U.S. plans to destroy the chemicals aboard a U.S. vessel at sea using a process called hydrolysis, in which chemical agents are neutralized using hot water plus other chemicals…NPR’s… Continue Reading

Better Botanical Business Bureau

by on

“Welcome to the Better Botanical Business Bureau, where botanical mistakes in commercial and public venues and products are showcased and corrected. It is not unusual with products, ingredients, and images used in media, design, and commercial works to be presented with the wrong common names, wrong species names, and/or wrong ingredients. This blog provides educational… Continue Reading

Women and men in leadership positions in the European Union, 2013

by on

Women and men in leadership positions  in the European Union,  2013. A review of the situation and recent progress October 2013. “Women account for 46% of people in employment across the EU13 and on average they have a higher level of  education than their male colleagues: 34% of working women have some form of tertiary level education compared  to… Continue Reading

Urban Institute – Closing the Wealth Gap

by on

Closing the Wealth Gap: Empowering Minority-Owned Businesses to Reach Their Full Potential for Growth and Job Creation, Signe-Mary McKernan, Caroline Ratcliffe, Released November 26, 2013. “The racial wealth gap grows sharply with age. When people are in their 30s and 40s, whites have about 3.5 times more wealth than people of color. By the time people reach… Continue Reading

EFF Introducing a Compendium of the Released NSA Spying Documents

by on

EFF – “The ongoing NSA leaks, Freedom of Information Act lawsuits and government declassification continue to bring vital information to the public about the the ongoing efforts of the NSA and its allies to spy on millions of innocent people. What started out as news detailing the agency’s collections of users’ calling records, phone calls,… Continue Reading

Historians and the Use of Primary Source Materials in the Digital Age

by on

Historians and the Use of Primary Source Materials in the Digital Age, Alexandra Chassanoff, 2013/9/1.  American Archivist. Volume 76 Issue 2 Pages 458-480.Society of American Archivists “This study examines how academic historians search for, access, and use primary source  materials in their research pursuits. Recruited historians completed an online questionnaire about current information practices and potential information needs in archival settings. The  results shed… Continue Reading