Banking

BLOOMBERG Vietnam’s central bank unexpectedly cut the rate at which it lends to banks, underscoring the need to support the economy amid a bleak global outlook and slowing domestic demand. The State Bank of Vietnam reduced the discount rate to 3.5% from 4.5%, according to a statement on its website. The authority also reduced the overnight lending rate in the ...

BLOOMBERG Credit Suisse Group AG sought to arrest a collapse in investor confidence by opening a 50 billion Swiss franc ($54 billion) credit line with the country’s central bank and offering to buy back debt, as executives and government officials plot the next steps for the troubled lender. Shares in Credit Suisse initially surged as much as 40% before paring ...

BLOOMBERG The UK government will announce a raft of environmental policies by the end of March in response to US President Joe Biden’s massive package of green subsidies, several people familiar with the matter said. The plan has internally been titled “Green Day” and will include measures to protect jobs in British industries such as electric vehicle production, which may ...

BLOOMBERG The European Central Bank (ECB) should either delay or pare back this week’s planned interest-rate increase to avoid a policy error reminiscent of 2011, former Executive Board member Lorenzo Bini Smaghi told Boersen-Zeitung. The German newspaper published an interview with the Italian, the eve of a decision for which a half-point hike has been described by President Christine Lagarde ...

BLOOMBERG Bank of America Corp (BofA) mopped up more than $15 billion in new deposits in a matter of days, emerging as one of the big winners after the collapse of three smaller banks dented confidence in the safety of regional lenders. The inflows offer a first glimpse into the deluge of deposits that made its way to the country’s ...

BLOOMBERG HSBC Holdings Plc is cutting the base pay it offers some newly-promoted senior investment bankers in the UK by a quarter, ahead of a rule change that would allow higher bonuses. In some areas, new managing directors are now typically offered a salary of about £225,000 ($273,380), compared to £300,000 paid to bankers that already hold the same position, ...

BLOOMBERG The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) threatens to further besmirch the reputation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, on top of the blemish he’s suffered for being slow to recognise the risk of rampant inflation. Friends and foes of the Fed alike have faulted the central bank for not heading off the troubles at the nation’s 16th-largest lender ...

BLOOMBERG When the European Central Bank (ECB) sets interest rates, attention will be on the increasingly acrimonious path that lies ahead. Despite its insistence on decisions being taken “meeting by meeting,” investors have grown accustomed to getting a preview of where borrowing costs are likely to head in the ensuing weeks and even months. But with officials bickering over how ...

BLOOMBERG The pain in the US banking sector may turn out to be a blessing for incoming Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda. Yield on Japan’s benchmark 10-year government note dropped below 0.3% for the first time since the BOJ unexpectedly doubled the yield cap to 0.5% on December 20. The move came in the wake of a slide ...

BLOOMBERG The troubles at Silicon Valley Bank and its subsequent collapse have driven investor attention to the heavy investment in US bonds by Japan’s lenders, casting a pall over their shares. SVB’s woes have been rooted in tens of billions of dollars it plowed into longer-term bonds, confident that rates would stay steady. Japanese banks have also stepped up investment ...