Bloomberg The Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) upcoming policy assessment is likely to signal a pause in the bank’s buying of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as long as stocks stay buoyant, according to a key author of the BOJ’s ramped up asset-purchase plan to fight the pandemic. “The BOJ is likely to make a more comprehensive judgment on the amount and frequency …

Bloomberg Standard Chartered Plc is preparing further job cuts as the emerging markets lender continues a restructuring that was postponed by the onset of the pandemic. The London-headquartered bank is expected to cut several hundred staff next month across its global businesses, with the reductions focused on more junior employees, according to people familiar with the matter. The bank has …

Bloomberg Resurgent coronavirus outbreaks will vex central bankers on five continents this week as they weigh the threat of more damage to growth against the hope that mass vaccinations will reopen economies. Institutions meeting from Tokyo to Frankfurt to Ottawa are pondering the prospect of another lost quarter amid renewed lockdowns to contain the pandemic. Most are likely to maintain …

Bloomberg A stronger US dollar is proving to be an early test for emerging-market currencies on the eve of Joe Biden’s inauguration. The greenback gained over the last two weeks, buoyed by the president-elect’s proposal for a $1.9 trillion stimulus package. Most developing-nation currencies have slumped in that span, and history suggests further pain may be in store. MSCI Inc.’s …

Bloomberg India’s equity benchmark falls in line with its regional peers, and is now set for a second day of declines. That slump will put the S&P BSE Sensex even further away from the key 50,000 level it was looking to breach last week. The benchmark slid 1% to 48525.55 as of 11:59 am in Mumbai, with four stocks falling …

Bloomberg Markets were mildly risk-off on Monday as investors weighed strong economic data from China, US President-elect Joe Biden’s stimulus plans and surging coronavirus trends. Carrefour SA tumbled 5.8%, leading Europe’s Stoxx 600 lower, after Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. abandoned talks on a $20 billion merger. The dollar ticked higher, oil prices were weaker and US equity futures dipped. Asian …

Bloomberg California utilities are warning that they may need to cut power to almost 280,000 homes and businesses to prevent live wires from sparking wildfires as high winds are expected to sweep through the drought-weary state. Edison International’s Southern California Edison said 256,000 customers in six counties near Los Angeles face blackouts within 48 hours due to a forecast of …

Bloomberg They know about the stretched valuations and everything that must go right to keep stocks aloft. And yet rather than shy away from frothy markets, plenty of investors are only now jumping in. The reason, it appears, is how far out of the market they had been prior to the latest and greatest leg of the run-up, the one …

Bloomberg Private equity firms are refusing to be left out of the initial public offering boom. With technology IPOs sometimes doubling on day one, buyout shops are hoping to capture some of the buzz for their slower growth and higher leverage assets. Two private equity-backed companies went public on US exchanges this week, with two more filings on Friday for …

Bloomberg Oil slid by the most in three weeks as a stronger dollar and weak US economic data stoked concerns over an economic rebound. Futures in New York tumbled 2.3% after a rally in oil earlier in the week pushed the benchmark into overbought territory. The US dollar strengthened, reducing the appeal of commodities priced in the currency. US consumer …