Bloomberg Stocks and futures rise on Tuesday as concerns about the severity of the omicron virus variant receded and China pledged measures to support economic growth. Technology shares led gains in Europe’s Stoxx 600 Index and Nasdaq 100 futures rise. Chinese tech stocks also rebounded from last week’s rout, with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd soaring by the most since its …

Bloomberg Stock investors probably have more important things to worry about than the emergence of the new coronavirus strain, according to Morgan Stanley’s strategists. While “not that concerned about omicron as a major risk factor for equities,” the strategists led by Michael Wilson see headwinds building elsewhere, after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell signaled the possible accelerated tapering of asset …

Bloomberg Oil rises after Saudi Arabia boosted the prices of its crude, signalling confidence in the demand outlook despite the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Futures in New York advanced 2.9% to trade near $68 a barrel. The kingdom increased its oil prices for customers in Asia and the US for January, just days after the Opec+ …

Bloomberg The Bank of England (BOE) is preparing to halt its almost 900 billion-pound ($1.2 trillion) quantitative easing program, leaving the future of what has become a controversial crisis-fighting tool shrouded in doubt. More than decade after buying the first government security as part of an initial 75-billion pound, three-month plan during the global financial crisis, the BOE will next …

Bloomberg Vietnam’s central bank bought about $25 billion worth of US dollars over the past two years, according to a deputy governor. The move helped inject the Vietnamese dong into the banking system and boost the economy, Pham Thanh Ha told an economic forum in Hanoi. The US Treasury last week announced that Vietnam met all the criteria again of …

Bloomberg Paul Pester, former chief executive officer of TSB Bank Plc, is preparing to launch a social network for digital payments, according to Sky News. Loop, as the startup is called, raised a seed round of investment and plans to bring in more money next year, according to the report. Pester’s partners on the project are Anthony Thomson, the founder …

Bloomberg Shorter-maturity Indian bonds are poised to extend losses amid growing expectations the central bank will accelerate its policy normalisation as the economic revival gains traction. Rates on notes with maturities of up to two years climbed in recent weeks as the central bank expanded its efforts to remove excess liquidity from the banking system, with the one-year bill yield …

Bloomberg UBS Group AG will compensate its Hong Kong employees for quarantine costs, matching similar plans by US rivals, as global financial institutions step up efforts to retain staff weighed down by city’s strict zero-Covid policy. Citadel, JPMorgan Chase & Co and Morgan Stanley are among those to have rolled out compensation plans for Hong Kong staff. Goldman Sachs Group …

Bloomberg Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd (HKEX) plans to establish a representative office in New York to market its offerings in the US amid increasing doubts over the former British colony’s status as a financial hub. The new office will comprise of only about five staff, people familiar with the plans said, asking not to be identified discussing private …

Bloomberg European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde called the prospect of an interest-rate increase next year unlikely, but said she’d quickly take action to combat elevated inflation should it become necessary. “When the conditions of our forward guidance are satisfied, we will not hesitate to act,” Lagarde told Reuters in a webcast interview. Her remarks come just days after …