Bloomberg Westpac Banking Corp.’s full-year profit plunged after the lender was hit with a record fine for breaching anti-money laundering laws, and the coronavirus-induced recession swelled bad-debt charges. Cash earnings fall 62% to A$2.61 billion ($1.8 billion) in the 12 months ended September 30, the Sydney-based bank said in a statement. The results include a previously disclosed A$1.2 billion charge ...

Bloomberg The pound declined to the weakest level in a month on concern a lockdown across England would deal a painful blow to an economy already reeling from similar measures earlier this year. Sterling fell as much as 0.7% to $1.2855, the lowest since October 7, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the month-long restrictions amid concern that the coronavirus ...

Bloomberg Stock markets climbed globally for a second day along with US futures hours before the American presidential election. Currency traders braced for increased volatility. Bank shares including BNP Paribas SA advanced after the French lender joined European peers in posting lower-than-expected bad-loan provisions from the pandemic. Equity markets in Beijing, Hong Kong, Australia and South Korea all surged more ...

Bloomberg Hedging exposure to the S&P 500 index via options is going to remain costly yet vital next year due to the pandemic and relative lack of protection from traditional havens, Tallbacken Capital Advisors LLC said. “Vaccine volatility” is likely because of the winding paths ahead to the eventual introduction of an inoculation or other therapies, according to Tallbacken CEO ...

Bloomberg India stocks tracked Asian peers higher ahead of the US election. The S&P BSE Sensex climbed 0.8% to 40,067.14 as of 10:04 am in Mumbai, while the NSE Nifty 50 Index advanced by the same magnitude. Swings in stock prices are set to ease for the first day in five after a measure of volatility touched its highest level ...

Dubai / WAM The UAE Space Agency and Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre announced the kick-off of ‘Generation Hope’ initiative under the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) – Hope Probe, the first interplanetary mission undertaken by an Arab nation, that comes as part of its education and outreach efforts. Held between November 2020 until January 2021, it provides an avenue for ...

Bloomberg Oil kicked off what promises to be a turbulent week of trading by plunging to a five-month low as a continued increase in Libyan crude production coincided with a wave of new virus-lockdown measures in Europe. The double whammy of falling demand and growing supply pushed futures in New York down as much as 6% in Asian trading. That ...

DUBAi / WAM Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) on Monday announced that it has completed integration of Noor Bank with successful migration of all banking relationships into DIB. The acquisition further enhances DIB’s position as one of largest Islamic banks in world with total assets exceeding AED300 billion. Speaking about the Bank’s successful integration, Group Chief Executive Officer, Dr Adnan Chilwan, ...

Sharjah / WAM Bee’ah and the University of Sharjah (UoS) signed an MoU to collaborate across multiple areas of interest that will include environmental research, educational programmes, student sponsorships and explore developing business opportunities and Intellectual Properties (IPs). To enhance student development, Bee’ah will provide scholarships and training opportunities for UoS students and share recruitment opportunities through its job portals ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM Mubadala, the Abu Dhabi-based sovereign investment company, on Monday announced that it will become an investor in Group42 (G42) the Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing company, via the integration of Injazat and Khazna Data Centres. As a result of the transaction, Injazat and Khazna – both homegrown industry leaders nurtured over the past ...