Bloomberg The Bank of Korea (BOK) cut rates to a record low and forecast the first economic contraction since the Asian financial crisis, but stopped short of offering clarity on what future steps it might take to shore up an economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic. Following the BOK’s unanimous decision on Thursday to cut the seven-day repurchase rate to …

Bloomberg The worst crisis in more than two decades among Indonesia’s smaller companies will boost loan losses and curtail profit at nation’s largest lender, according to PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia Finance Director Haru Koesmahargyo. Bank Rakyat expects more than 10 million customers in its core segment — micro, small and medium enterprises — to be affected by the Covid-19 outbreak, …

Bloomberg Bank of Montreal (BMO) had about C$180 million ($130 million) in trading losses on a single day in March, a sign of just how risky stocks were as the coronavirus outbreak became a global pandemic. The loss, disclosed in a quarterly presentation, marks the company’s worst trading day in more than a decade. “On that day, there was significant …