Bloomberg JPMorgan Chase & Co. is working with about 10 stressed or distressed borrowers in Europe hoping to lower cost of government bailout loans in debt market, according to senior bankers. Most of the companies are trying to offload loans made last year to help them survive the pandemic and lock in lower rates, Daniel Rudnicki Schlumberger, the bank’s co-head …

Bloomberg Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said it would commit $25 million to a five-year program aiding historically black colleges and universities. In its first year, the initiative will include 125 students who will get training in fundamental finance skills, the New York-based company said in an emailed statement. “Diversity is an imperative for our organisation,” Chief Executive Officer David Solomon …

Bloomberg Ex-UniCredit SpA Chief Executive Officer Jean Pierre Mustier plans to raise funds for a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), the latest former top banker to take advantage of the trend for blank check vehicles. Mustier, who left UniCredit last week after a boardroom power struggle, plans to work on the SPAC with former Bank of America Corp. executive Diego …

Bloomberg A three-decade high for Japan’s soaring stocks is adding to pressure on the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to tweak its buying of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), according to the former head of its financial markets department. “Shares could be rising on a bubble and the BOJ could be helping inflate that bubble,” Hiromi Yamaoka said in an interview, the same …

Bloomberg Treasury yields held near their highest in a year on Wednesday, while European stocks slipped as investors assessed the bond selloff and a busy day for earnings. The Stoxx 600 Index dropped for a second day, weighed down by retailers, despite some positive corporate news. Akzo Nobel NV rises after beating estimates and announcing plans to repurchase 1 billion …

Bloomberg At first glance, the weakness in South Korea’s won is an anomaly. Risk appetite is picking up but the currency is heading south. The won, which is susceptible to swings in global sentiment, has dropped almost 2% versus the dollar since the start of the year. It’s underperforming all its emerging Asian peers just as global growth bets are …

Bloomberg Oil held gains in New York after rising above $60 a barrel for the first time in a year as a deepening energy crisis in the US disrupted crude production and forced the shutdown of some of the nation’s biggest refineries. As much as 1.7 million barrels a day of oil output has halted and deliveries via pipeline suspended …

VIENNA / WAM The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) has signed a $20 million public sector loan agreement with Kenya to increase regional connectivity, enhance trade and improve the socio-economic welfare of about 1.6 million people. The loan will finance the upgrading of the 90 km Samatar – Wajir Road, a part of the North and North-Eastern Development Initiative …

Bloomberg Germany wants to make a deal with the US in order to complete the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas project that has caused friction between the two countries. The 1,230-kilometre (764-mile) gas pipeline that’ll bring the fuel from Russia to Germany has been a persistent source of trans-Atlantic friction. Its construction was halted for a year after the US …

Bloomberg Global stocks are in the midst of the longest run of gains in 17 years as optimism over the economic recovery sweeps across markets. The MSCI benchmark for emerging and developed market stocks has risen for 12 straight sessions, while US equities were set to open higher after a public holiday. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 Stock Average extended …