Bloomberg The Singapore government can do a better job communicating the country’s virus strategy, a minister said, addressing residents’ frustrations over confusing signals on its reopening plan. The country of about 5.5 million people has shifted its approach from Covid elimination to trying to live with the virus, yet authorities have tightened restrictions on gatherings, restaurants and businesses even after ...

Bloomberg Algeria closed its airspace to French military planes, escalating a row between the North African nation and its former colonial ruler over comments attributed to President Emmanuel Macron. Two planned logistical support flights heading to Africa’s Sahel region were denied permission to cross Algeria on Sunday and have been postponed, according to French army spokesman Colonel Pascal Ianni. The ...

Bloomberg The Czech central bank pledged to keep raising borrowing costs after lifting interest rates by the most in nearly a quarter century, pushing the koruna higher and angering the government with the European Union’s most aggressive anti-inflationary campaign. Policy makers increased the benchmark rate by 75 basis points to 1.5%, exceeding expectations for a half-point increase. The move followed ...

Bloomberg Citigroup Inc predicts India’s central bank will raise its reverse repo rate next week rather than the December increase expected earlier, becoming one of the first big banks to forecast the rollback of emergency measures as growth recovers and inflation expectations stay high. Governor Shaktikanta Das will probably announce on October 8 a 15 basis point increase in the ...

Bloomberg Ukraine’s central bank won’t stand in the way of the hryvnia’s rally as it’s helping keep a lid on the country’s double-digit inflation, central bank Deputy Governor Serhiy Nikolaychuk said. With a 6.5% gain against the dollar this year, the currency is among the world’s best performers and beats all of its east European peers, most of which have ...

Bloomberg Hong Kong’s central bank asked lenders to report their exposure to debt-laden China Evergrande Group on concern over potential systemic risks to the region’s financial system, according to people familiar with the matter. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) queried lenders in the city, giving them 24 hours to respond on their financial commitments to China’s most indebted developer, ...

Bloomberg Sri Lanka aims to bolster its currency reserves and finances through a sprawling plan that includes boosting export earnings repatriation and tax reforms, as well as outside funding, currency swaps and possibly repurchasing or renegotiating debt, its central bank chief said. Ajith Nivard Cabraal, the central bank of Sri Lanka’s newly appointed governor, said the country aims to provide ...

Bloomberg A Bank of England (BOE) rate hike looks likely this year if UK supply problems don’t ease and inflation pressures aren’t tempered by the end of government job support. That’s according to Allan Monks, an economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co., who said in a note to clients that while the Monetary Policy Committee would prefer to delay a ...

Bloomberg For the world’s leading Covid-19 vaccine makers, news that Merck & Co’s experimental pill cuts the risk of hospitalisation and death in half was the latest blow in a very bad week. Stocks including Moderna Inc and BioNTech SE have shed about $84 billion in combined value this week in the aftermath of a stock market slump that sent ...

Bloomberg Newly listed stocks provided a surprising source of gains during the US market’s worst month since March of 2020. Typically losers in a risk-off environment, New York’s initial public offerings (IPOs) instead delivered a rise of 25% on average during September’s selloff in the broader market. Consumer-facing stocks such as Dutch Bros Inc and On Holding AG that opted ...