Bloomberg Italian President Sergio Mattarella asked the speaker of the lower house to lead a new round of negotiations aimed at breaking the country’s political deadlock. The head of state tasked Speaker Roberto Fico with exploring whether it’s possible to rebuild the coalition that supported Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. Three days of talks led by Mattarella, who’s responsible for picking ...
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HSBC CEO defends China policy under fire from UK lawmakers
Bloomberg HSBC Holdings Plc Chief Executive Officer Noel Quinn said the bank had no option but to close an exiled Hong Kong lawmaker’s account as he defended the lender against accusations it had become a tool of Chinese authorities. Facing questions from UK lawmakers, Quinn said HSBC’s decision was driven purely by the need to comply with local laws. “I’m ...
Read More »ICICI Bank Q3 net profit climbs 19% from a year earlier
Bloomberg ICICI Bank Ltd.’s third-quarter profit rise 19% from a year earlier, boosted by robust loan growth. Net income at India’s second-largest private lender rose to 49.39 billion rupees ($677 million) in the quarter ended December 31 from 41.5 billion rupees a year earlier, it said in a statement. That beat the average estimate of 42.4 billion rupees from 17 ...
Read More »MoneyLion in talks to go public via Fusion SPAC
Bloomberg MoneyLion, a mobile banking, lending and investment platform, is in talks to go public through a merger with Fusion Acquisition Corp., a blank-check company. Fusion, the special purpose acquisition company, has begun discussions to raise new equity from potential investors for a transaction that’s set to value the combined entity at more than $2 billion, said the people, who ...
Read More »Orcel to sacrifice millions in UBS pay in move to UniCredit
Bloomberg Andrea Orcel is set to step away from tens of million of dollars in deferred pay once he realises his ambition of becoming the chief executive officer of a top European bank. UniCredit SpA will not compensate the former UBS Group AG star executive for deferred payments he will lose for joining a peer within seven years of leaving ...
Read More »JPMorgan funds $686mn in UK home loans
Bloomberg JPMorgan Chase & Co. agreed to fund 500 million pounds ($686 million) in UK home loans originated by London-based fintech LendInvest Ltd. The US bank will use LendInvest to finance properties that will be leased, known as buy-to-let loans, according to a statement. LendInvest has loaned more than 3.5 billion pounds online since its inception about a decade ago, ...
Read More »ECB urges banks to tackle credit as pandemic support expires
Bloomberg The European Central Bank (ECB) is urging lenders to do a better job of gauging the risks they face from a potential spike in defaults as the pandemic increasingly hits companies and consumers. The worsening economy has slowed banks’ efforts to reduce existing bad debts and “there is also an embedded level of distress in loan books that is ...
Read More »Hong Kong’s $600 billion stock rally hinges on China support
Bloomberg Hong Kong’s stock rally is so dependent on mainland capital that the mere suggestion the record inflows will slow has the potential to stir panic in the city’s $7.1 trillion market. Such was the case, when the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) withdrew incremental liquidity and an adviser warned obliquely of asset bubbles. The result was the biggest drop ...
Read More »Indian stocks face budget hurdle with history as guide
Bloomberg If history is a guide, the recent rough ride for Indian stocks will continue after Monday’s budget. The S&P BSE Sensex index has climbed in the month after budget day on only two of the past seven years since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power, while falling or staying rangebound on other occasions. Risks are compounded in 2021 ...
Read More »BofA’s Merrill raises margin to 100% to trade certain stocks
Bloomberg Bank of America Corp. (BofA) increased margin requirements to 100% for wealth-management and self-directed brokerage clients to trade certain stocks, as firms impose limits amid wild price swings sparked by investors on social media. The margin requirements apply to Merrill Lynch wealth-management clients and individual traders using the Merrill Edge platform, according to Bank of America. Margins for stock ...
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