New York / AFP The yen weakened sharply amid reports that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) is mulling cutting the rates on some loans to banks into negative territory. Such a move would support the banks’ earnings but also serve as stimulus by possibly pushing more money into the economy. The news sent the yen tumbling 2.1 percent against the …

  BLOOMBERG Svenska Handelsbanken AB needs to take a bigger share of the wealth market to reach its ‘natural’ size in the business area, according to its chief executive officer, Frank Vang-Jensen. The bank is buying Dutch firm Optimix, which will add about $2.3 billion to its assets under management. Vang-Jensen says he also wants to invest more in 10 …

  Natendorf, Germany / DPA Two polar bears, Nanuq and Sprinter, play in their zoo enclosure: Using their powerful teeth and enormous claws, they press a white ball under the water and then let it shoot up again to the surface. The bears, both males weighing around 500 kilograms and measuring 3 metres in length, are comparable to teenaged human boys …