Bloomberg Malaysia kept its benchmark interest rate at a historic low, maintaining support for an economy hit in recent weeks by floods and the fast-spreading Omicron variant. Bank Negara Malaysia held the overnight policy rate at 1.75% at its first monetary policy meeting of the year, as predicted by all 25 economists in a Bloomberg survey. The central bank has …

  Bloomberg Banks are ramping up or extending efforts to protect their staff and business continuity in Hong Kong as authorities struggle to contain a fifth wave of Covid infections in the city. At Morgan Stanley, non-critical staff in some groups have been told to work from home starting Monday, said a person familiar with decision, who asked not to …

  Bloomberg US equity futures were mixed while European stocks fall as investors assessed shaky company earnings and the prospect of higher US borrowing costs. Bond yields dropped a second day. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index touched the lowest level in a month weighed by miners, travel and leisure and automakers. Nasdaq 100 contracts underperformed after the tech-heavy gauge entered …

  Bloomberg Shares of semiconductor companies fall, with the group participating in a widespread late selloff for technology stocks that pushed the Nasdaq 100 Index into correction territory. The Philadelphia Stock Exchange Semiconductor Index falls 3.3%, ending at its lowest since late October. The index has dropped more than 10% thus far this week, which would represent its biggest one-week …

  Bloomberg Gold trimmed a weekly gain as inflation-adjusted bond yields continued to advance, diminishing the appeal of the non-interest bearing asset. The bullion sunk to a key resistance level as market-based measures of inflation expectations rapidly dropped, raising the real return of Treasuries. A decline in the bond’s nominal yields from a two-year high had helped gold advance earlier …

  BRUSSELS / WAM At EU level, the share of gross final energy consumption from renewable sources reached 22% in 2020, according to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. This is 2 percentage points (pp) above the target level for 2020, as included in Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources. This …

  Bloomberg The European Central Bank (ECB) has “every reason” not to respond as forcefully as the Federal Reserve to soaring consumer prices, according to President Christine Lagarde. “We’re all in very different situations,” Lagarde told the France Inter radio station on Thursday in an interview. Inflation is “clearly weaker” in the euro area, while the region’s economic recovery is …

  Bloomberg Citigroup Inc said it has hired 5,500 young employees for its Asia businesses over the last two years, ahead of its target to recruit 6,000 by 2023, after stepping up efforts to help cushion the region from soaring youth unemployment amid the pandemic. Consumer banking operation has taken up 48% of the overall hires, followed by 31% for …

  Bloomberg The Riksbank may soon have to abandon its dovish monetary policy and start raising rates in response to inflation overshooting its 2% target, according to Swedbank economists. The bank’s main scenario is that a first policy rate hike in early next year will be followed by a second one later in 2023. However, there is a risk that …

  Bloomberg Ukraine may increase borrowing costs further as concerns over a potential war with Russia pushed the country’s currency to the weakest level in a year. The central bank signalled last month that interest rates will continue to rise, although only a narrow majority of analysts in a Bloomberg survey expect such move at the meeting on Thursday. Five …