2017 is set to be one of the most volatile years for politics in decades. Elections in France, Germany and the Netherlands threaten to bring populists to power at the core of the euro zone. The European Union isn’t functioning, says George Soros. But not all political risk is bad. There’s the opportunity for positive change — especially in ...

  In his confirmation hearing the other day, Treasury secretary nominee Steven Mnuchin used the word “liquidity” when talking about several financial regulatory policies. He echoed banks’ concern that the Volcker Rule — which prohibits banks from engaging in many kinds of trading — would reduce asset market liquidity. He also expressed support for the continued existence of Fannie Mae ...

  Bloomberg Etihad Airways PJSC sought to head off the prospect of further clashes over its US expansion now that Donald Trump is president, saying it has no plans to add destinations beyond those already served. “We are not flying into any further points in the USA,” Etihad Aviation Group Chief Executive Officer James Hogan said in an interview with ...

  Bloomberg Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc emerged as a surprise suitor for perennial bid candidate Mead Johnson Nutrition Co., starting talks on a $16.7 billion purchase of the baby food maker to build its faster growing consumer-health business and bolster its presence in Asia. The companies are discussing an offer of $90 a share in cash, Reckitt Benckiser said. That ...

  Bloomberg Wireless carrier Vodafone Group Plc forecast full-year profit at the low end of its previous range, saying investments required to prop up its Indian unit will continue to hurt results as it negotiates to combine the business with a rival. “We anticipate intense competitive pressure in India in the fourth quarter and are taking a series of commercial ...

  PARIS / Reuters After top-level restructuring at Airbus come the musical chairs and a new logo intended to convey unity as the European giant aims to refocus its management without a return to past infighting. In a symbolic move, the man in charge of making Airbus jets has reluctantly agreed to leave his office by the vast factories in ...

  Bloomberg Deutsche Bank AG fell the most in four months after earnings missed analysts’ estimates, in part because clients stepped back from doing business with the lender amid concern about its financial strength. The stock slumped as much as 7.1 percent, the most since September, after revenue from debt trading, its biggest source of income, fell short of estimates ...

  Bloomberg Switzerland’s financial regulator fined Coutts & Co. Ltd. for violating money-laundering rules and illegally profiting from transactions associated with Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd. Coutts, owned by Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, allowed a total of $2.4 billion worth of 1MDB-related assets to flow through accounts in Switzerland even though it had good reason to ...

  Bloomberg ING Group NV, the largest Dutch lender, said profit jumped 68 percent, more than analysts expected, as wholesale lending revenue rose while costs and bad-loan provisions fell. Underlying profit rose to 1.38 billion euros ($1.49 billion) in the fourth quarter from 822 million euros in the previous year, the Amsterdam-based bank said in a statement on Thursday. That ...

  Bloomberg Complex debt trades that started as a way for lenders to reduce their loan exposure are becoming a business opportunity for some of the world’s biggest investment banks. Others are worried they could become another source of systemic risk. Nomura Holdings Inc. and Credit Suisse Group AG are among the most-active firms earning high fees by providing loans ...