Bloomberg Equity markets were mixed on Tuesday, the dollar fell and Treasuries edged higher before as the Federal Reserve began a two-day meeting and investors awaited Donald Trump’s speech to the United Nations. The S&P 500 Index churned near an all-time high, stuck in one of the tightest ranges in decades. The CBOE Volatility Index slumped below 10. Europe’s equity ...
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Qatar off 5-yr low as local traders buy, Saudi index nosedives
Reuters Qatar’s stock index came slightly off a five-year low on Tuesday as local funds intensified their buying of those shares, while Saudi Arabia was the region’s worst performer. The Doha index had recorded 11 straight sessions of losses, reflecting a lack of foreign investor confidence in a speedy resolution to the Gulf diplomatic crisis. Local investors, however, have been ...
Read More »German bank hands £45mn to UK online lender amid Brexit
Bloomberg Uncertainty around Brexit may be mounting as political leaders from the UK and the European Union clash on the terms of separation, but that isn’t slowing down foreign investors from betting on Britain’s top peer-to-peer lenders. Varengold Bank AG, a Hamburg-based private banking firm, will provide £45 million (S$82.06 million) in annual funding for loans to small businesses arranged ...
Read More »SNB shares climb as investor seeks ‘boring’ bond proxy
Bloomberg The Swiss National Bank (SNB) gets flak for everything ranging from its investments to the strength of the franc. One group that can’t complain this year: its stockholders. Since January the SNB’s shares have more than doubled in value, touching a peak of 3,825 francs ($3,980) on Sept. 14. With some 48 percent of the central bank’s total stock ...
Read More »Australia’s central bank sees solid jobs growth
Bloomberg Australia’s central bank expects to see solid employment growth ahead as the economy gradually picks up, while noting risks from housing debt outpacing household income. In minutes of this month’s policy meeting, where interest rates were left unchanged, the Reserve Bank of Australia gave no signal policy was set to change any time soon. Employment growth had been broadly ...
Read More »Baht pits Bank of Thailand against government on rate cut
Bloomberg A public rift between Thailand’s central bank and government on interest rates shows just how much of a dilemma the baht has become for the economy. The Finance Ministry is pushing the Bank of Thailand to cut interest rates to stimulate growth, in light of the strength of the currency and low inflation. That’s clashing with the bank’s aims ...
Read More »Pound forecasters catch up with rally
Bloomberg The pound’s dramatic reversal of fortunes this month has left analysts racing to catch up. Strategists are revising their estimates for the currency after its best week since 2009 saw it gain almost 3 percent as the Bank of England signaled it would look to withdraw stimulus “over the coming months.†Sterling touched $1.36 on Monday, while the median ...
Read More »Bitcoin roars back from Chinese-regulation spurred swoon
Bloomberg The bitcoin rally is proving hard to stop. The cryptocurrency has breached $4,000, soaring more than 20% from the lows reached Friday, as concern eases that a crackdown by Chinese regulators will hinder the growth of the alternative method of exchange. After reaching a record high of $4,921 on 1 September, the digital currency fell as low as $2,975 ...
Read More »â€˜Bank of Canada tracking impact of higher rates’
Bloomberg The Bank of Canada gave the strongest indication yet it is concerned about the Canadian dollar’s recent gains, with a top official saying policy makers will closely monitor the currency’s impact on the economy. In the bank’s first public remarks, since raising interest rates, Deputy Governor Timothy Lane spoke to a business audience in Saskatchewan where he outlined the ...
Read More »Trudeau warns to halt Boeing F-18 deal on Bombardier row
Bloomberg Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada won’t buy Boeing Co. fighter jets while the company pursues a trade challenge against Montreal-based Bombardier Inc. over its commercial aircraft. Trudeau made his threat to halt what he called Canada’s “significant procurement†of F-18 Super Hornets alongside UK Prime Minister Theresa May. Both leaders are pressing the US firm to drop its ...
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