Bloomberg Secretary of State Antony Blinken stepped up the Biden administration’s sharp rhetoric against Russia ahead of talks meant to ease tensions over Ukraine, accusing Moscow of using military threats, disinformation and targeted killings to build a sphere of influence beyond its borders. “No one should be surprised if Russia instigates a provocation or incident then tries to use ...

  Bloomberg President Joe Biden called for vigilance in protecting US democracy in a tribute to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as he seeks to rally Democrats behind voting-rights legislation. “Harry knew better than most how difficult democracy is, that the idea of America itself is under attack,” Biden said during a memorial service for the longtime Nevada senator ...

  Bloomberg Japan and the US have agreed that US forces stationed in Japan won’t leave their bases except for essential reasons in an effort to stem the spread of Covid-19 cases, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Sunday. His comments came as areas hosting or close to U.S. bases saw some of the biggest increases in infections on a ...

  Bloomberg Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro floated the possibility that public servants won’t receive a raise for the fourth year in a row, dismissing pressure by workers that has led to cargo holdups and work slowdowns. “It could be that there is no adjustment for anyone,” Bolsonaro said in Brasilia. “Anything is possible,” he added, emphasizing that raises aren’t a ...

  Bloomberg China’s central bank has fuelled expectation it will ease monetary policy early this year with its vow to take proactive action to stabilise growth in 2022. A growing number of economists are predicting the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) will cut banks’ required reserves as well as policy interest rates in the first quarter, as fresh pandemic outbreaks ...

  Bloomberg Argentina raised its benchmark interest rate for the first time in over a year as it faces calls from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to tighten its monetary policy. The central bank lifted the key Leliq rate to 40% from 38%, the level it had stood for over a year even with annual inflation running at around 50%. ...

  Bloomberg HSBC Holdings Plc’s private bank raised a record of about $3.2 billion for alternative investments from its clients globally in 2021, a jump of nearly 40% from the previous year, as the wealthy look to escape volatility and diversify their portfolios. Clients in Asia, where HSBC is targeting wealth management as a growth engine, added $1.9 billion for ...

  Bloomberg The Canadian dollar is closing out 2021 as the only major developed-market currency to advance against the dollar, and a hawkish central bank in Ottawa should support the loonie further in 2022. Markets expect the Bank of Canada (BOC) to be one of the G-10’s most aggressive monetary authorities in tightening policy next year. Traders are currently pricing ...

  Bloomberg Credit Suisse Group AG won a court order permitting it to seek documents from SoftBank Group Corp as part of a lawsuit the Zurich-based bank has said it plans to file in England stemming from the collapse of Greensill Capital. A US Magistrate judge in San Francisco granted Credit Suisse’s request to serve a subpoena on SB Investment ...

  Bloomberg Peru raised interest rates for a sixth straight month as inflationary pressure mounts amid the economy’s strong rebound from the pandemic. The central bank increased its policy rate by half a percentage point to 3% in line with the forecasts of five of seven analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Two economists had expected a bigger increase, to 3.25%. “With ...