Banking

Bloomberg Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is using its position in the $800 billion market for exchange-traded bond funds (ETF) to build a business that its Wall Street rivals now want to emulate. The bank has this year almost tripled the volume of ‘‘credit portfolio trades,’’ whereby it buys or sells large scale blocks of securities through ETFs, to around $20 ...

Bloomberg Barclays Africa Group Ltd. is no more. And with that a chapter closes on its former British parent’s 100-year history on the continent. The lender on Wednesday ditched the name to revert to Absa Group Ltd. as it severs ties with Barclays Plc after the London-based company sold down the controlling stake it bought in 2005. The Johannesburg-based company ...

Bloomberg Malaysia’s central bank kept its benchmark interest rate steady in the first policy meeting under a new governor, providing support to an economy that Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is trying to revamp. Bank Negara Malaysia held the overnight policy rate at 3.25 percent, it said in a statement in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, as predicted by all 19 economists ...

Bloomberg There are so far no charges or convictions, but analysts are already guessing how big a fine Danske Bank A/S might have to pay following allegations it became a major hub for money laundering in Europe. A potential penalty could be as high as $4.7 billion or as low as $315 million, and estimates average out at $670 million, ...

Bloomberg Mario Draghi said the improvement in euro-area inflation is on a self-sustained path as he struck a confident tone that the European Central Bank (ECB) can withdraw its stimulus despite the rising specter of a global trade war. Addressing European Parliament lawmakers, the ECB president urged the region’s governments to lead by example by pushing back against creeping protectionism, ...

Bloomberg Denmark’s financial watchdog is telling smaller lenders to brace for an assault by money launderers as big banks respond to intense regulatory scrutiny and improve their defenses. The head of the Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA) in Copenhagen, Jesper Berg, says smaller institutions are now particularly vulnerable. The comments come amid a string of revelations alleging that Danske Bank A/S was ...

Bloomberg Malaysia’s new central bank governor presides over her first interest-rate meeting in a better position than most of her peers in Southeast Asia. Unlike her counterparts in Indonesia and the Philippines — who are ramping up rate hikes to defend their currencies — Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus doesn’t have to do anything for now. Even in Thailand, where rates ...

Bloomberg Two Wall Street strategists are casting doubt on one of this year’s most-popular trades: buy small-cap stocks. Don’t be fooled by the consensus that smaller companies are better positioned to weather a global trade war, Barclays’ Maneesh Deshpande said. While it’s true that their domestic focus makes them less vulnerable to trade barriers, their bigger reliance on imports means ...

Bloomberg VP Bank AG, the Liechtenstein-based private bank, is expanding its wealth management operations in Asia as it draws a line under four years of losing clients in Europe due to tax compliance issues. VP Bank has been adding headcount in Singapore and Hong Kong, and is eyeing partnerships with a view to gaining more wealthy Chinese clients, according to ...

Bloomberg If a US or global recession is looming, it’s time to own the Swiss franc, Singapore dollar, US dollar and Japanese yen – and ditch emerging market currencies, according to analysts from JPMorgan Chase & Co. “Recessions are when creditors get to ask for their money back,” analysts including Paul Meggyesi said in a note. “Three of the top ...