Bloomberg India’s government is asking the central bank to hand over a part of its surplus reserves and loosen liquidity norms for lenders — demands that are likely to escalate a standoff with the monetary authority that’s fiercely protective of its independence. The matter is pending before the board of the Reserve Bank of India and may be taken up …

Bloomberg It’s time to start loading up on “cheap” yen. Using options to bet on gains for Japan’s currency is a smart wager for 2019, according to Societe Generale. The yen reached its weakest since early October, before recovering as concern over China’s economy fuelled declines in global equities and eroded risk appetite. The yen traded at 113.85 per dollar …

Bloomberg China’s biggest banks dragged down the stock market as investors took a dim view of the government’s unprecedented move to tell firms exactly how much they must lend to the country’s struggling private sector. At least a third of new loans should go to non-state companies, Guo Shuqing, chairman of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, said. Private …