Bloomberg Until a trade dispute between the US and China is resolved, a single tweet on the matter will have the power to ignite rallies and sell-offs. The tweet in question this week is President Donald Trump’s declaration that “big progress†is being made towards a deal between the US and China, and it may spur gains across emerging markets. ...
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Trade protectionism will crimp global growth in 2019, says ECB
Bloomberg The European Central Bank expects the global economy to slow in 2019 as rising protectionism curbs trade growth. While economic activity has remained resilient around the world, it has also become more uneven and signs of moderating momentum are increasingly evident, according to the ECB’s latest economic bulletin. Global trade growth has weakened and uncertainties about future trade relations ...
Read More »United Bank of India first to announce cash injection
Bloomberg United Bank of India became the first of the country’s ailing state-run banks to announce a new cash injection from the government, disclosing in a filing that it will receive 21.6 billion rupees ($308 million) to improve its capital ratios. The announcement sent the bank’s shares up as much as 14 percent, set for the biggest gain since October ...
Read More »SNB disregards critics as franc keeps negative rates in play
Bloomberg Swiss National Bank (SNB) interest rates are stuck to the floor and 2019 could see criticism of the policy growing louder: The financial sector hates it and there’s trouble brewing in the real estate market. After nine years of economic growth and the eradication of deflation risks, the arguments are building for the SNB to call time on the ...
Read More »Monetary policy remains prudent, say PBOC officials
Bloomberg Senior People’s Bank of China (PBOC) officials pushed back against interpretations of its recent moves as signalling significantly looser policy, emphas- ising that monetary policy remains prudent — though it will be more targeted and flexible. “The stance on prudent monetary policy hasn’t changed,†Sun Guofeng, director of the monetary policy department, told reporters in Beijing. “But it’ll be ...
Read More »China targets smaller lenders in shadow banking crackdown
Bloomberg China announced plans to rein in the expansion of lending by the nation’s regional banks to areas beyond their home bases, the latest step policy makers have taken to defend against financial risk in the world’s second-biggest economy. Those lenders, which include rural cooperatives, must have the proper licenses to provide financing beyond the region where they’re based, or ...
Read More »Regulators seek consolidation of a fractured financial system in Taiwan
Bloomberg Regulators in Taiwan are taking another shot at consolidating a fractured financial system that’s scaring off foreign investors. The island’s authorities last month made it easier for lenders to merge, part of a long-running campaign to whittle down an industry where assets are so thinly spread that banks struggle to compete with regional rivals. Government policy in the 1990s ...
Read More »Fubon Life buys ECB’s first home in Frankfurt
Bloomberg The European Central Bank’s first home in Frankfurt — the iconic Eurotower — has been acquired by Fubon Life Insurance Co. It’s the Taiwanese company’s first deal in Germany. The office building, one of the most recognisable towers in the city’s financial district, served as the ECB’s headquarters until 2015 and is regarded as the birthplace of the euro. ...
Read More »Nomura CEO signals more job cuts in Europe
Bloomberg Next year is shaping up to be another tough one for Nomura Holdings Inc’s employees in Europe, with more job losses likely as the Japanese securities firm shifts business away from the region to more profitable centers in Asia and the US. Japan’s biggest investment bank needs to cut staff while finding ways to spur revenue in the region, ...
Read More »Trump’s ‘economic damage’ could cause Fed rate pause
Bloomberg President Donald Trump may get the Federal Reserve interest rate-hike pause he wants as his attacks on the Fed and the government shutdown roil stock markets and shave 2019 forecasts for economic growth. The S&P 500 fell 2.7 percent, bringing US stocks to the brink of a bear market after a drop of almost 20 percent from a September ...
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