BLOOMBERG Banks borrowed a combined $164.8 billion from two Federal Reserve backstop facilities in the most recent week, a sign of escalated funding strains in the aftermath of Silicon Valley Bank’s (SVB) failure. Data published by the Fed showed $152.85 billion in borrowing from the discount window  — the traditional liquidity backstop for banks — in the week ended on …

BLOOMBERG First Republic Bank shares fell again on Friday, set for their worst week ever, as sentiment around the lender remained fragile even after proposals for $30 billion of aid from Wall Street’s biggest banks. Shares in First Republic fell as much as 15% in US premarket trading, underperforming fellow regional banks, having already fallen by a record 60% so …

BLOOMBERG South Korea needs to take the politically sensitive step of fully lifting curbs on stock short selling to ensure inclusion in a key global index, the head of the country’s securities exchange said. Asia’s sixth-largest equity market is seeking to be upgraded in MSCI Inc.’s equity gauge to developed status from emerging, part of efforts to revitalise the sector …