Bloomberg The Hong Kong government has no plan to ease property-cooling measures, including the stamp duty on second homes or for overseas buyers, as many residents still can’t afford to purchase homes in the city, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said in a blog. The government also doesn’t plan to lift the special stamp duty, which levies home owners who sell …

Bloomberg Saudi Arabian banks may report double-digit earnings growth this year as rising interest rates and increased government spending offset the risk of higher bad-debt charges. Even loans may expand faster after four years of declines led to a contraction in 2017. The government’s 2019 budget increased spending in the face of plunging oil prices. “More stimulus, business confidence, privatisation …

Bloomberg The biggest Nordic bank is starting to feel a lot smaller. Nordea Bank Abp joined the euro zone in October by moving its headquarters to Helsinki from Stockholm. A month later, it learned it was losing its status as a global systemically important bank. Now, it appears Nordea is also too small to make it into the Euro Stoxx …