International Women's Day - Be Bold For Change

Observed on 08 March annually, International Women’s Day (IWD) celebrates womanhood, and the progress of women being recognised for their significant contributions and achievements in terms of political, cultural, economic and social.

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At the same time, IWD 2017 brings awareness of the importance of gender parity, of women being able to play a pivotal part in shaping the society and economies, to execute the equal freedom and rights that in some cases - Only men have access to. Afterall, like what the previous First Lady Michelle Obama (whom I admired a lot) mentioned, "There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish”.

As much as there is a call for gender equality in the current society, there is no denial that there is certainly vast improvements of women’s rights and freedom as compared to the early 1900s. Fast forward to the current age, more women have gotten the rights to vote and experiencing less job discrimination over the past century. But more is to done – To empower women and bring forth hope to the misrepresented. 

This year’s IWD theme is “Be Bold For Change”, to establish equal freedom and rights to women, like what men got to have all along, especially in workplaces. With the changing world of work where there are more women in the workforce than before, there is much to do to reduce this  imparity and injustice faced by women at their workplace – Such as gender pay gap, job opportunities, suggestions not taken seriously, etc. (#beboldforchange)

One example is the recent case by Susan Fowler, a female engineer who worked in Uber – She, along with other female engineer colleagues as claimed by her, faced workplace sexual harassment and sexism. Most left on their own accord, but it means a loss of talent in the company, in the industry or even for the better good of the society. I should not but cannot help to assume that there are many similar situations happening in other companies around the world.

Another example is Yours Truly. As a Sales Account Manager working in an industry that is of (1) male-dominated and (2) engineering field, it was challenging but fulfilling to prove that I, who may be in dresses and high heels, can do as well, or even better, than the male counterparts. There may be some apprehensions by new customers but to gain their trust and business was rewarding. Or that when I tell people I meet for the first time that I am doing sales, they would ask me, in the beauty industry? In a bank? Was it sexism that I encountered? :-/

Some companies are known for their gender diversity practices, while it was reported that more than 85% of FAs on Wall Street are men and 25% of listed companies on Russell 3,000 Index have no female board of directors. Despite that, it is certainly interesting to know that it is the companies that are more gender-balanced which perform better.

Credits: State Street ('Fearless Girl' staring at charging bull,

 to encourage more companies to have more gender diversity)

Other than equality in workplaces, I feel that there is more to advocate on and empower women with - Such as healthcare, education and a safe place free of domestic violence. Education is denied for females in some families, communities, but with it, this can change the course of a woman's life, and eventually the society.

A study showed that in US, women account for a majority of college graduates and Fortune 500 entry-level employees but this proportion declines at each executive career stage. Other than due to the possibility of gender imbalance, it may just because some women chose to take a back seat in their career, giving up what they could achieve at work to care for their families. And these stay-at-home-mums are those to be admired.

Over in US, many ladies are participating in “A Day Without A Woman” by taking a day off from work or home roles, avoid shopping (except to small, women- and minority-owned businesses) and wear red (to signify love and sacrifice). As much as it is to highlight that women's presence is not to be taken for granted and how women contributes to the socio-economic system, this strike will affect many businesses and individuals on this day, in my opinion. Is it necessary to be part of the strike? Imagine schools have to be closed as female teachers go on strike. The ones being affected are the schoolchildren! Voicing out for gender parity and to highlight women receiving lower wages, discrimination vulnerabilities, sexual harassment and job security need not go to such an extent.

With that, everyone has a part to play in enabling a change to society's mindset and business practices when it comes to women. But as mentioned by Malala Yousafzai, "We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back" (in recognising the importance of equality and full humanity of women and men). Before I end, wishing all ladies a Happy International Women's Day. May we find love and acceptance in who we are and strength in all the things we do! 

Britons Voted For United Kingdom To Leave European Union (EU) in Britain Exit (Brexit). Global Economy In Frenzy. What's Next For Britain?

Britain's 23 June Referendum - To Stay or Leave the European Union?

Unlike Greece's mulish desire to stay in the European Union (EU), Britain has, over the years, expressed utmost desire to leave the EU. The former would probably have a GREXIT (Greece Exit) if not for the last bailout by the EU. Whereas for Britain, the withdrawal from the EU was decided by tens of millions of British voters in this divisive referendum that will shape the ties between Britain and EU - To remain in the EU or to leave the EU and regain UK sovereignty? What will be the decision that Britons make after years of bitter talk?

BRITONS HAVE SPOKEN - United Kingdom Withdraws From the EU

Mirrored after GREXIT, it is known as BREXIT (British Exit), and the stakes were high. While the votes were constantly updated, most of it leaned towards leaving the EU. Below is the final result of this referendum - BRITAIN IS LEAVING THE EUROPEAN UNION AFTER 43 YEARS, with a 51.9% of voters polled 'YES' for the withdrawal. United Kingdom is the FIRST country to leave the EU bloc.

BRITAIN IS LEAVING THE EUROPEAN UNION

Push Factors for Britain to Leave EU

The top three debate topics for leaving EU commonly fell back on the reason of UK's sovereignty loss to the EU, the EU's burdensome economic regulations, and the EU's liberal rules for internal migration. The EU consists of 28 members states, and one of the laws rules that members have to admit unlimited numbers of migrant from the other EU countries.

When I was living in London, I came across frequent newspapers articles on the immigration issues. Most were not thrilled about the Syrian refugee crisis, though UK ranks 13^th out of 28 countries in terms of failing to resettle the number of people it has promised to take in. With the heightened fear of terrorism (Paris, Brussels, etc), most Britons disagree with the EU's free-migration rules as they believed it may allow more terrorists to enter into United Kingdom easier. But all these years, UK could not do anything about this, or even other issues, as EU laws override all national laws. Other reasons for Britain to leave EU can be read in [THIS ARTICLE].

Brexit's Effect on the Currency and Capital Markets

Widely discussed and warned by governments, capital analysts and investors across the globe, the referendum if passed, will affect global financial markets and roil the currency, commodity and capital markets, and many other sectors such as import/export, property, automotive, medical and travel. It was said that if Brexit happens, the British economy may shrink by between 3.8 and 7.5 percent by 2030 — depending on how well subsequent negotiations for access to the European market ultimately went.


London may lose its attractiveness as a financial hub, that many international banks and financial institutions are currently based at. The Square Mile and Canary Wharf are the two central financial districts (CBD) in London. Banks may move their operations out of UK, as voiced out by Morgan Stanley president, Colm Kellleher on his bank's probable decision. Hence, it was not surprising that Londoners voted to remain in the EU (Check out this article too to check out how UK has voted in terms of area).

View of Canary Wharf from the area where I lived in London
(Lived near South Quay DLR, 5 minutes' walk to London's CBD)

Stirling Pound Plummeted To a 30-year Low

Since the start of the campaign in February this year, the pound has been fluctuating vigorously (Yes, I have been tracking this as I have vested interests in the Stirling Pound). But even without the conclusion of the votes, the visceral effect of the Stirling Pound have was observed as the British currency have plummeted to a 30-year low against the US Dollars. Many have been holding on their cash to buy on the dip. Where in UK itself, the Britons were scrambling to exchange their pounds to other currencies in view of the busy Summer vacation period of June to August.


Asia Markets In Red
While typing this article, I was concurrently watching the Bloomberg live telecast and discussion online. The telecast showed the global stock markets performance, and it was alarming to see the sea of red across the markets. In Asia markets, traders started their day in the wee hours of the morning as the most of the international markets were experiencing tumbling effects as the voting result kept updating, with panic sweeping across the financial markets.

Effect of Brexit on Japan Market

Japanese Yen has gone up, much to the probable dismay of those intending to visit Japan for vacations. Business-wise, companies that rely heavily on Japan imports like parallel imported Japanese cars will be affected. The Japanese government sees the demand for the safe-haven yen as a crisis as it would hurt Japan's exports, and they have been attempting to keep the yen low to stimulate economic growth and boost inflation. On another note, NIKKEI, the Japan stock market, is suffering the worst day in five years.

Gold Price Rises

To investors, gold seems to be the best bet in the long run. Gold prices surged to a two-year high. While pound being dumped rapidly, the glittering attractiveness of this commodity increased. This is, despite the fact that there is no real pattern to spot gold price changes following major shock events, as analysed in the Bloomberg chart as seen below.

FREXIT 

Following the Brexit, this may cause contamination whereby other EU countries may follow suit. For example, France may call for a referendum, and have their own FREXIT. Denmark, Sweden, Austria and Italy may follow suit.

Will David Cameron Lose His Job?

David Cameron, UK's current Prime Minister pledged in January 2013 that a referendum to decide if UK remain or leave the EU will be implemented, should the Conservatives wins a parliamentary majority at the 2015 General Election. However, he stood firmly to what he said that he "will campaign with all his heart and soul for Britain to stay in the EU when the referendum comes", having held rallies over the last few weeks to get UK citizens to vote for the stay in EU. He laid his reputation on the line by doing so, hence analysts reported that it will be difficult for him to keep his job for a long term.


Updated: David Cameron announced of his resignation during his post-Brexit poll speech at 10 Downing Street. This is despite that nearly two-thirds of Brexit-backing Tory MPs sent a letter directly to David Cameron to remain in office regardless of the Referendum results. Cameron will step down as Prime Minister by end October 2016, after holding this post for six years. He leaves the invoking of the Article 50 and other agreements and negotiations to the new PM.

For Myself

UK has a special place in my heart. It was in Central London that I spent some of my happiest months of recent years at. Following this Brexit issue for quite some time, I respect what the majority Britons voted for, with the country of split views waking up this morning (24 June 2016) to the decision of the UK withdrawal from the EU. Amidst the current economic and political impacts from the voting results, let's see how UK makes the best out of this double-edged sword event. Nevertheless, I cannot wait to be back in UK - Pounds up or down, Part of EU or not.

*All efforts were done to ensure no individual views and opinions of my own was expressed in this article due to possible conflicting situations. This article is a consolidation of various views, analysis and market conditions that is/will/has been  affected, as reported by online and televised news sources.