Bloomberg Red Kite, the world’s best-known metals hedge fund, reached a settlement with Barclays Plc over claims traders at the bank engaged in abusive trading and manipulated copper prices on the London Metal Exchange. The financial terms of the agreement will not be publicly disclosed, according to a statement. Red Kite had previously said actions by Barclays traders cost it ...
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US banks offer hope for trading gains after 6-month slump
Bloomberg US banks think a Wall Street revival is coming. Executives cited a good start to April and the expectation of several large initial public offerings in coming months to offer hope after a rough start to 2019 for their capital-markets businesses. The five largest Wall Street firms’ trading and investment banking revenue both fell in back-to-back quarters, the first ...
Read More »Bank of Korea cuts growth, inflation forecasts amid weakening exports
Bloomberg South Korea’s central bank cut its economic growth and inflation forecasts and left its key interest rate unchanged as the nation’s export-dependent economy faces rising risks. BOK Governor Lee Ju-yeol said the gross domestic product was now expected to grow 2.5 percent and inflation to register 1.1 percent in 2019. Those marked downgrades from forecasts of 2.6 percent and ...
Read More »BOJ cuts bond buying for first time in 2 months
Bloomberg The Bank of Japan (BOJ) cut bond purchases for the first time in two months, surprising traders as local markets approach a 10-day shutdown for this year’s extended Golden Week holidays. The central bank offered to buy 160 billion yen ($1.4 billion) of securities maturing in the 10-to-25 year zone at regular operation, versus 180 billion yen previously. It ...
Read More »Powell adopts whites-of-the-eyes inflation stance Yellen shunned
Bloomberg Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and his colleagues have made an important shift in their strategy for dealing with inflation in a prelude to what could be a more radical change next year. The central bank has backed off the interest-rate hikes it had been delivering to avoid a potentially dangerous rise in inflation that economic theory says could ...
Read More »Big US banks lean on main street for profit
Bloomberg The biggest US banks have leaned on retail banking businesses to offset a prolonged slump in trading and drive record profits. Now comes the question of whether they can keep it up. The lenders, led by JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America Corp., are delivering on the promise that the stockpiles of deposits they spent years attracting ...
Read More »Citi, Goldman assure revamping units that dragged down results
Bloomberg Citigroup Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. both delivered better-than-expected earnings. Instead of celebrating, executives were assuring investors they’ll make more progress on revamping units that are dragging down results. Growth stalled at Citigroup’s consumer unit, so executives pointed to green shoots in a digital bank effort. Goldman Sachs had the biggest first-quarter trading decline among banks that have ...
Read More »China’s PBOC trims liquidity supply in a sign of dialing back stimulus
Bloomberg China’s central bank cut some of the long-term funding it supplies banks in a sign it may be dialing back its monetary stimulus as the economy strengthens. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) rolled over about half of the funds coming due via 1-year medium-term lending, and also offered to lend 160 billion yuan ($24 billion) for 7 days ...
Read More »Singapore’s OCBC seeks partner for China securities joint venture
Bloomberg Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. (OCBC) is looking for a Chinese firm to team up with on a securities joint venture on the mainland, the latest foreign bank seeking to capitalsise on the nation’s financial-industry loosening. Obtaining a Chinese securities license would allow OCBC to do asset management, investment banking and fund management business in the nation, Chief Executive Officer Samuel Tsien ...
Read More »Commerzbank draws takeover interest from ING
Bloomberg Commerzbank AG has been sounded out by ING Groep NV about a possible combination of the two lenders, according to a person familiar with the matter, as the German firm’s talks with domestic rival Deutsche Bank AG draw increasing criticism. Commerzbank shares extended gains after Manager Magazin first reported the talks, citing people it didn’t identify. ING Chief Executive ...
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