Tuesday , 16 December 2025

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China’s CEFC set to meet bond interest payment

Bloomberg Beleaguered CEFC China Energy Co. is set to meet an interest payment on a dollar bond, just days after defaulting on a separate debt obligation in the domestic market and as more of the once-promising energy conglomerate’s ambitious deals fail. Bank of Communications Trustee Ltd., the trustee for the $250 million of dollar bonds issued by CEFC Shanghai International …

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Total takes 10% stake in Russian LNG project

Bloomberg Total SA will take 10 percent stake in a multibillion dollar liquefied natural gas project in Russia’s frozen north from Novatek PJSC. Total is aiming to become a key global LNG player, competing with Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Exxon Mobil Corp., after it snapped up assets from Engie SA last year. The world’s biggest oil companies are also …

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Halfway back from brink, stocks sit still as investor mood heals

Bloomberg Anyone with a sense of symmetry can appreciate the S&P 500 Index right now. After bouncing all year, the equity benchmark just spent a week sitting at the precise midpoint of this year’s trading range. A perfect 50 percent retracement, in the language of technical analysis. Which is to say, it’s stopped moving — at least for the last …

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Political risks grip European markets

Bloomberg Traders could be forgiven if flashbacks of the euro zone crisis come back to haunt them as the euro slid to a six-month low and risk premiums on Spanish and Italian bonds soared amid rising political risks. European risk assets took a massive pounding ahead of a long weekend in London as investors fled from riskier bonds, stocks and …

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Swiss private banks may finally merge

Bloomberg For years, Swiss private banks largely resisted the temptation to merge with rivals. Often run by proud families, few wanted to let go of their independence or dilute their legacies. While local giants UBS Group AG and Credit Suisse Group AG went through painful reorganisations, smaller banks had time to continue with business as usual, even winning over disaffected …

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Wells Fargo dismisses bankers in struggling municipal-bond unit

Bloomberg Wells Fargo & Co.’s new public finance chief Stratford Shields is shaking up the department by dismissing senior bankers in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles and bringing in colleagues from his former employer, Morgan Stanley. Fifteen employees from its public finance department were removed, retired or quit as the bank shifted its strategy, according to a person familiar …

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BoK stands pat in face of rising uncertainties

Bloomberg The Bank of Korea (BoK) stayed the course amid rising uncertainty, leaving its benchmark interest rate unchanged in a unanim-ous decision. The central bank is balancing concerns including record household debt and recent weak domestic economic data with external risks such as rising US interest rates and global emerging-market instability. Governor Lee Ju-yeol described uncertainties as high, and as …

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Kenya retains rate caps in new draft law

Bloomberg Kenya plans to overhaul legislation governing its financial sector by creating new agencies that regulate the cost of credit and protect consumers, according to a draft law on the Treasury’s website. The Financial Markets Conduct Bill seeks to “promote a fair, non-discriminatory marketplace for access to credit, to provide for the establishment of uniform practices and standards in relation …

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Easing inflation proves Nigeria monetary policy stance right

Bloomberg Nigerian central bank Governor Godwin Emefiele’s tight monetary-policy stance and system of multiple exchange rates may have paid off through slowing inflation and a stable naira, and he’s not about to change that soon. The MPC has kept its benchmark interest rate at a record 14 percent since July 2016 despite calls to lower rates to support economic growth. …

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Best Buy’s heavy spending to fight Amazon comes at a cost to profit

Bloomberg Best Buy Co.’s turnaround journey only gets harder from here. The retailer, which is rolling out new offerings to grab more of its customers’ spending, faces a suite of challenges: tougher year-ago comparisons, the continued encroachment of Amazon.com Inc. and the cost of launching a new tech-support program. The consumer spending boost fuelled by the recent tax cuts in …

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