Bloomberg China’s banks face mortgage losses of $350 billion in a worst-case scenario as confidence plunges in the nation’s property market and authorities struggle to contain deepening turmoil. A spiralling crisis of stalled projects has dented the confidence of hundreds of thousands of homebuyers, triggering a mortgage boycott across more than 90 cities and warnings of broader systemic risks. ...
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Bank of England set for biggest interest rate rise in 27 years
Bloomberg The Bank of England (BOE) this week is expected to push through the biggest interest-rate increase in 27 years and unveil its strategy for unwinding some of the £895 billion ($1.1 trillion) of stimulus it delivered over the past decade. The measures would accelerate a historic tightening of monetary policy to choke off the worst bout of inflation in ...
Read More »EU banks get $3.8 billion boost from end of negative rates era
Bloomberg Banks’ core business of lending has finally turned more profitable again, as the era of negative interest rates in the euro area comes to an end. The EU’s five biggest banks that have reported results so far showed an increase in net interest income of 3.74 billion euros ($3.82 billion) on the same quarter last year, a jump ...
Read More »HSBC makes cost of living payment to UK employees
Bloomberg HSBC Holdings’s UK arm is the latest bank to help staff cope with the rising cost of living by making an extra one-time payment. Lower-paid employees will receive the £1,500 ($1,836) boost in their August paychecks, according to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg News. All five of the UK’s largest retail banks have now pledged to pay ...
Read More »Indonesia keeps dovish tone on steady core CPI
Bloomberg Indonesia’s central bank continued to build the case to keep its policy rate unchanged for longer, as it sees subsiding food costs and slower global monetary tightening. “Bank Indonesia will continue to normalise monetary policy, but there is no need to quickly raise interest rates like other countries,†Governor Perry Warjiyo said in a briefing. Core inflation is ...
Read More »Credit card spending soars as US consumers battle inflation
Bloomberg Mastercard Inc. said spending on its network jumped 18% as US consumers battle once-in-a-generation levels of inflation. Payment volume soared to $1.65 trillion in the second quarter, topping the $1.64 trillion average of analyst estimates in a Bloomberg survey. The company boosted its forecast for revenue growth for the year after it reported a 58% surge in overseas payments ...
Read More »UK banks risk new fines unless they put their customers first
Bloomberg Financial firms may be fined and stripped of their regulatory authorisation unless they put their customers’ needs first under far-reaching reforms from the UK City regulator. Banks, insurers and other companies will have to ensure their services are actually good for their clients and that this approach is taken at all levels of the business, Ian Searle, head ...
Read More »Standard Chartered in $500m share buyback
Bloomberg A strong quarter from Standard Chartered Plc’s traders provided a boost to the emerging market-focused bank despite fears that a slowing global economy could squeeze its lending business. The London-based bank reported underlying pretax profit rises 7% to $1.32 billion in the second quarter, as its traders benefitted from volatility in global markets along with many of its ...
Read More »Barclays earnings miss as legal costs overshadow trading jump
Bloomberg Barclays Plc’s profit fell more than expected in the second quarter after it booked charges and penalties in the US, marring a strong period for the bank’s bond traders. The British lender said a market plunge would increase the cost of buying back US investment products it mistakenly oversold. Barclays also expects to pay $200 million in penalties ...
Read More »BNP Paribas announces highest profit on record
Bloomberg BNP Paribas SA posted its highest profit on record as lending income rises amid the prospect of higher interest rates and volatile markets lifted securities trading in the second quarter. Revenue at the unit that houses BNP’s retail operations rises 11%, reflecting higher fees, rising rates and gains in specialised businesses, the Paris-based firm said in a statement ...
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