When the UK government announced the cancellation of exams to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, there was a collective intake of breath from parents and a giant exhalation from students. These yearly trials usually dominate the beginning of summer for British families with school-age children, who are tested to within an inch of their lives. A-levels — taken at ...

Bloomberg North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is convening a key ruling party body on Wednesday for the first time in eight months to address a “crucial” mystery issue. He’s got plenty of tricky situations to choose from. The state’s official Korean Central News Agency offered few clues about the gathering of the Central Committee, saying it will “discuss and decide ...

Bloomberg Democrats kicked off their convention with a show of unity and a rallying cry fuelled more by animosity towards Donald Trump than affirmations for their own nominee Joe Biden — enlisting progressives, centrists and even Republicans to paper over differences and oust the incumbent. The debut night, held virtually, put on display the Biden campaign’s desire to make the ...

Bloomberg China’s central bank supplied liquidity to commercial lenders to help them manage upcoming government bond sales, while leaving the price of the money unchanged as the economy recovers. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) added 700 billion yuan ($101 billion) of one-year funding via the medium-term lending facility. The central bank said that the operation is meant to offset ...

Bloomberg The new normal of remote work has yet to reach the traders who deal with the Bank of Japan (BOJ). Japan’s central bank doesn’t allow home computers to connect to its network for conducting asset purchases and other market transactions, raising concerns at financial firms as coronavirus cases in Tokyo surge. At least three have asked the BOJ whether ...

Bloomberg Westpac Banking Corp. has scrapped its first-half dividend, citing the desire to maintain a strong balance sheet in an uncertain operating environment. The lender had previously deferred any decision on a payout during the height of the first coronavirus outbreak. It will next consider dividends as part of finalising its full-year results. Westpac is the first of the nation’s ...

Bloomberg Intesa Sanpaolo SpA is likely to play a part in the possible purchase of Borsa Italiana SpA being considered by Italian state-owned lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti SpA and Euronext, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The government and Euronext have been weighing a joint bid for the stock exchange operator, owned by London Stock Exchange Group ...

Bloomberg Citigroup Inc. asked a federal court to order Brigade Capital Management LP to return its share of more than $900 million that the bank mistakenly wired to Revlon Inc. lenders, some of which are locked in a bitter fight with the struggling cosmetics giant. The bank has recouped less than half of the money, which it blamed on a ...

Bloomberg Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is the latest firm to boost its year-end price target for the S&P 500, as a relentless rally off the March lows leaves strategist predictions in the dust. David Kostin raised his forecast for the benchmark US gauge to 3,600 from 3,000, joining the likes of Yardeni Research founder Ed Yardeni and RBC Capital Markets’ ...

Bloomberg European stocks struggled for traction with US equity futures as the Trump administration stoked tensions with Beijing by announcing new restrictions on Huawei Technologies Co. A dollar gauge slid to the lowest since 2018. Jewellery maker Pandora A/S led losses in the Stoxx Europe 600 Index after saying sales may contract as much as 20% this year. Asian chipmakers ...