Top US official voices opposition to global wealth tax

The US stands opposed to a global wealth tax: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has made it clear that the US will not be backing a unified global wealth tax during upcoming G7 ministerial discussions, she told the Wall Street Journal.

There’s a case to be made in favor of such a tax: Officials from Brazil, France, Spain, Germany, and South Africa have been mulling a proposal that would require bn’aires to part with at least 2% of their overall wealth annually, arguing that a global tax would prevent the super-wealthy from shifting their assets to overseas tax havens and help address the widening income inequality.

Yellen thinks otherwise: “We believe in progressive taxation. But the notion of some common global arrangement for taxing bn’aires with proceeds redistributed in some way — we’re not supportive of a process to try to achieve that. That’s something we can’t sign on to,” Yellen said.

Where the US currently stands: While the US already taxes its citizens on the global income they earn — which hampers efforts to avoid taxation by moving assets abroad — the concept of an annual tax on an individual’s net worth remains off the table. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is expected to soon address the constitutionality of wealth taxes — its decision could significantly impact future tax policy in the country.

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AND- We’re nearing the end of an era at JPMorgan as Jamie Dimon, 68, “signaled retirement is closer than ever, striking a key change in messaging during the bank’s investor day. “The timetable isn’t five years anymore,” he said, per CNBC.

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And for our fellow Finance Bros of a Certain Age™: Ivan Boesky has died at age 87. The American trader came to personify the excesses of arbitrage and insider trade in the 1980s, ultimately pleading guilty to conspiracy charges that signaled the unraveling of the “greed is good” era on Wall Street. Boesky became famous for paying massive sums for inside information that allowed him to structure trades. His case prompted the US securities regulator to properly define insider trading for the first time.

Fast fact: A commencement speech on the power of greed that Boesky delivered became the inspiration for the “greed is good” like attributed to the character Gordon Gecko in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street.

See obituaries in the Financial Times | New York Times | Wall Street Journal.

MARKETS THIS MORNING-

Wall Street cheered Microsoft’s new “AI” PC line, sending the tech-heavy Nasdaq to a record high yesterday, but Asian markets are nonplussed, with all but the Nikkei down in early trading this morning. European and US equities futures were down slightly overnight.

THE CLOSING BELL: TADAWUL-

The TASI fell 0.6% yesterday on turnover of SAR 6.1 bn. The index is up 1.3% YTD.

In the green: Al Baha (+7.7%), Amak (+7.1%) and Medgulf (+6.7%).

In the red: Cenomi Retail (-8%), Al Babtain (-7.4%) and Sharqiyah Dev (-4.5%).

THE CLOSING BELL: NOMU-

The NomuC fell 0.1% yesterday on turnover of SAR 31 mn. The index is up 10.2% YTD.

In the green: Future Care (+11.1%), Pro Medex (+8.4%) and Osool and Bakheet (+4.5%).

In the red: Leen Alkhair (-7.7%), Al Muneef (-7.7%) and Riyadh Steel (-6.3%)

CORPORATE ACTIONS-

#1- The shareholders of Tadawul-listed Al Hassan Ghazi Ibrahim Shaker approved a 15% capital increase to SAR 555 mn through a bonus share issuance in a bid to shore up the company’s financial position and support its pipeline investments, according to a statement to Tadawul (pdf).

#2- SAL Saudi Logistics Services approved the distribution of SAR 140.8 mn in dividends for 1Q 2024 at SAR 1.8 per share, according to a statement on Tadawul. Eligible shareholders can cashout within 15 working days from the 26 May eligibility date.