Banking

Bloomberg The central banks have increased their holdings of equities beyond $1 trillion last year as they sought to diversify their reserves away from low-yielding bonds, according to a survey to be published. Monetary authorities boosted their allocation of equities to 10 percent of their reserves despite recent market volatility and a quarter of them said they plan to purchase ...

Bloomberg Mario Draghi said joining the euro has improved the quality of institutions in eastern European members, as opposed to “more mixed” results in countries that have kept their own currencies. The ECB President, hosting a conference on central and eastern Europe in Frankfurt, said the main challenge in region is achieving more balanced gro-wth. That “will only be possible ...

Bloomberg The Swiss National Bank is again at the mercy of its bigger neighbours and will have to lean in a more dovish direction to keep its currency under control. With the franc having touched a two-year high against the euro, SNB President Thomas Jordan and fellow policy makers are feeling the pressure from risks such as trade tensions, a ...

Bloomberg Nigeria’s central bank said it’s made no change to its naira policies, after a revision on its website led some analysts to speculate that it was ending a system of multiple exchange rates. “Nothing has changed in Nigeria’s exchange-rate structure,” and the naira’s value continues to be determined by trading in the Investors’ & Exporters’ FX Window, Isaac Okorafor, ...

Bloomberg Raghuram Rajan has delivered some uncomfortable economic truths in a career spanning the International Monetary Fund and powerful positions in his native India. The question is whether Brexit Britain is ready to hear them from another foreign Bank of England governor. The job of stewarding the UK’s monetary policy and maintaining its financial stability has rarely been more political, ...

Bloomberg Deutsche Bank AG investment-banking head Garth Ritchie and former co-Chief Executive Officer Anshu Jain were swept into a widening German probe on dividend tax payments, adding to strain on top leadership as the shares hover near record lows. Ritchie and Jain joined a growing list of potential targets for prosecutors investigating the so-called cum-ex tax scandal that’s rocked Germany’s ...

Bloomberg Swiss franc bulls have history on their side as speculation grows that the Federal Reserve is about to cut rates. The franc was the best-performing currency during the past four rate-cutting cycles, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. It’s already rallying as Treasury yields plummet, evidence the pattern might repeat. JPMorgan believes it will, leading the bank to upgrade ...

Bloomberg Central bank policy makers in Stockholm could soon be forced to follow a growing number of their colleagues abroad in abandoning plans to tighten as inflation is starting to fade. A key report at the end of this week is predicted to show that Swedish inflation once again fell below the 2 percent target, and is even slower when ...

Bloomberg The Bank of England (BOE) doesn’t have to wait until all political uncertainty around Brexit is resolved to raise interest rates, according to policy maker Michael Saunders. The economy will probably move to “significant excess demand” over the next two to three years if Brexit goes smoothly, Saunders said, and will need monetary tightening as a result. Consumer spending ...

Bloomberg The European Central Bank (ECB) is willing to cut interest rates, resume bond purchases or strengthen its promises to keep borrowing costs low if necessary to battle economic weakness, policy maker Olli Rehn said. “The Governing Council is determined to act and stands ready to adjust all of its instruments, as appropriate,” Rehn, who heads Finland’s central bank, said ...