April, 2016

• 23 April

  European Central Bank to buy corporate bonds from June

    Bloomberg The European Central Bank (ECB) said it plans to start buying corporate bonds in June as it unveiled more details of its purchase programme. The bank will start buying corporate bonds maturing between six months and 30 years, according to a statement on the bank’s website. Purchases will include bonds issued by insurance companies, while excluding those sold ...

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• 23 April

  ICBC urges Canadian banks to spur volumes at yuan hub

  

    Toronto / REUTERS Trading activity in North America’s first yuan hub, Toronto, has fallen short of the heightened levels expected at its launch and local banks should be doing more to spur growth, an Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) executive said. The hub was launched more than a year ago to foster increased trade and investment activity ...

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• 23 April

  BoJ mulls support for banks, Yen dips

  

    New York / AFP The yen weakened sharply amid reports that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) is mulling cutting the rates on some loans to banks into negative territory. Such a move would support the banks’ earnings but also serve as stimulus by possibly pushing more money into the economy. The news sent the yen tumbling 2.1 percent against the ...

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• 23 April

  Richest bank clients move up priority list for Handelsbanken

  

    BLOOMBERG Svenska Handelsbanken AB needs to take a bigger share of the wealth market to reach its ‘natural’ size in the business area, according to its chief executive officer, Frank Vang-Jensen. The bank is buying Dutch firm Optimix, which will add about $2.3 billion to its assets under management. Vang-Jensen says he also wants to invest more in 10 ...

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• 23 April

  An odd business: Toymaker caters to fun-loving animal customers

  

    Natendorf, Germany / DPA Two polar bears, Nanuq and Sprinter, play in their zoo enclosure: Using their powerful teeth and enormous claws, they press a white ball under the water and then let it shoot up again to the surface. The bears, both males weighing around 500 kilograms and measuring 3 metres in length, are comparable to teenaged human boys ...

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• 23 April

  At Tribeca, virtual reality takes early steps towards art

  

    New York / AP Walking through most doors at the Tribeca Film Festival means taking a seat in a theater full of chattering moviegoers. But there are also darkened, cloth-wrapped chambers — like old carnival booths promising never-before-seen wonders — that offer nothing but a headset, headphones and perhaps some advice, like: “Watch for the dragon.” Virtual reality has steadily ...

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• 23 April

  Plaque marks site of Shakespeare’s home

  

    London / AFP A plaque was unveiled in central London on Thursday, marking the place where William Shakespeare lodged in the city, in time for the 400th anniversary of the playwriter’s death. Actress Fiona Shaw read out Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 55”, while hand bell ringers and a children’s choir performed. “William Shakespeare had lodgings near here in 1604, at the house ...

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• 23 April

  Mind-controlled drone race pushes future technology

  

    JASON DEAREN/ AP Wearing black headsets with tentacle-like sensors stretched over their foreheads, the competitors stare at cubes floating on computer screens as their small white drones prepare for takeoff. “Three, two, one … GO!” the announcer hollers, and as the racers fix their thoughts on pushing the cubes, the drones suddenly whir, rise and buzz through the air. ...

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• 23 April

  Hologram-based technology helps Magic Leap augment reality

  

    Relaxnews The American startup Magic Leap has released a spectacular video showing a virtual screen superimposed over a real-world environment. This is seen used for work, entertainment and online shopping while the user moves around their home or office without being cut off from surroundings. Companies including Google, Alibaba and Qualcomm have already invested in the project. The somewhat ...

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• 23 April

  Microsoft brings Outlook to Android wearables

  

    Relaxnews The latest update to Microsoft’s Outlook Android app brings compatibility with Android Wear. Owners of Android-based wearables can now join their Apple Watch-wearing counterparts in receiving Outlook notifications directly on their watches. With Microsoft’s updated Outlook app, owners of smartwatches running Android Wear software can get email notifications, read messages and reply to them directly by voice or ...

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