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 ...
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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 ...
Read More »Russia’s bad bank eyes $15 billion hole from rescued private lenders
Bloomberg More than a year after Russia nationalised three leading private lenders, the magnitude of the losses is starting to take shape and criminal investigations are being opened against former owners and management. The bad bank that took on some 2 trillion rubles ($30 billion) in non-performing assets from Bank Otkritie FC, B&N Bank and Promsvyazbank still isn’t ready to ...
Read More »Wells Fargo to pay states $575mn over improper sales practices
Bloomberg Wells Fargo & Co will pay $575 million to settle state-level claims over sales practices, marking the latest cost in the fallout from a series of scandals that erupted at the bank more than two years ago. The settlement with 50 states and the District of Columbia announced resolves state investigations into Wells Fargo’s practices from 2002 to 2017. ...
Read More »JPMorgan settles securities case with $135mn payout
Bloomberg JPMorgan Chase & Co will pay $135 million to settle Securities and Exchange Commission allegations that it mishandled US securities that represent sha-res of foreign companies, the latest bank fined in an industry crackdown on the practice. The bank improperly provided what’s known as American depository receipts (ADR) to brokers when neither the brokers nor their clients held shares ...
Read More »Goldman Sachs poised to lead M&A deals for 2018
Bloomberg Boutique banks climbed the ranks of the world’s leading merger advisers, while Deutsche Bank AG dropped out of the top 10. But for all of the shuffling, familiar names remained at the head of the pack. Goldman Sachs Group Inc, for the second year in a row, is poised to be the top bank for takeover advice — pushed ...
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