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 ...
Read More »Banking
HSBC cuts base pay for some bankers
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, ...
Read More »Collapse of SVB threatens to further tarnish Powell’s legacy
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 ...
Read More »ECB gathers amid growing dissonance over trajectory for rates
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 ...
Read More »BOJ pivot pressure to ease in wake of SVB’s collapse
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 ...
Read More »SVB crisis drives concern on Japan lenders’ exposure to US bonds
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 ...
Read More »Binance suspends payment services for UK customers
BLOOMBERG Binance Holdings Ltd, the world’s largest crypto exchange, is suspending deposit and withdrawal services via bank transfers and card payments for UK customers after its local banking partner stopped providing support for transactions in British pounds. Paysafe, a London-based online payments company, said it would stop providing one of its products to Binance’s customers in the UK, citing local ...
Read More »Credit Suisse finds ‘material’ control lapses after SEC check
BLOOMBERG Credit Suisse Group said it found “material weaknesses†in its reporting and control procedures for the past two years, after questions from US regulators. The Zurich-based bank said it will take steps to fix ineffective checks on the process it follows to pull together its financial reports. But the firm said its statements for 2022 and 2021 “fairly present†...
Read More »Credit Suisse default swaps hit record over SVB failure
BLOOMBERG The cost of insuring the bonds of Credit Suisse Group AG against default climbed to the highest on record as the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank sparked concern about broader contagion in the banking industry. Five-year credit default swaps for the Zurich-based lender jumped as much as 44 basis points 446 basis points, data compiled by Bloomberg show. They ...
Read More »US regional banks remain under pressure as First Republic sinks
BLOOMBERG The positive effect from the American regulators’ overnight support actions in the banking system quickly evaporated, with stocks signalling that fallout from the incident is far from over. S&P 500 futures erased most earlier gains and traded little changed, while Nasdaq futures trimmed their advance and the Cboe Volatility Index spiked, set for the highest since end-October. Turmoil continued ...
Read More »