February, 2023

• 23 February

  G-7 condemns Russian aggression, urges Kyiv aid

  

  Bloomberg Group of Seven (G-7) finance ministers once again condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine on the eve of its one-year mark and pledged to increase financial support for Ukraine. G-7 finance ministers increased their budget to $39 billion dollars and reaffirmed their “unwavering support for Ukraine,” calling Russia’s aggression as “illegal, unjustifiable and unprovoked” in a statement issued on Thursday. ...

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• 23 February

  Finland says it’s ready to join Nato even without Sweden

  

  Bloomberg Finland is set to join Nato if it gets the last outstanding ratifications for its membership bid, regardless of what progress Sweden has made towards joining the alliance, President Sauli Niinisto said. Finland’s parliament has moved ahead with a domestic process to ratify the Nordic country’s accession to Nato, raising questions about whether the two countries could be admitted ...

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• 23 February

  China considering veteran banker as next PBOC chief

  

    Bloomberg China is considering installing veteran banker Zhu Hexin as its next central bank governor, while a close ally of Xi Jinping is a likely candidate to become its Communist Party chief, the Wall Street Journal reported. He Lifeng, expected to replace Liu He as China’s vice premier responsible for economic policy in a government reshuffle next month, is ...

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• 23 February

  ECB avoids 2022 loss due to release of €1.6b buffer

  

  Bloomberg The European Central Bank (ECB) reported zero profit for 2022, deploying buffers it set aside in earlier years to dodge a loss linked to stimulus-driven bond-buying. Tapping those reserves became necessary after asset purchase-related interest payments to the euro area’s national central banks jumped to about €2 billion ($2.1 billion). That was due to borrowing costs being raised to ...

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• 23 February

  BOK keeps door open to further hike after rate pause

  

    Bloomberg Bank of Korea (BOK) Governor Rhee Chang-yong sought to keep the door open to resuming policy tightening to counter inflation after the board kept interest rates unchanged on Thursday for the first time in a year. Rhee told reporters that five of the six board members he polled were open to borrowing costs reaching a peak of 3.75% ...

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• 23 February

  Bangladesh banks face stress as funding costs jump: Moody’s

    Bloomberg Profitability of local lenders in Bangladesh will likely come under strain from rising funding costs amid a liquidity squeeze in the banking system, according to Moody’s Investors Service. “A spike in imports, declines in remittance inflows and high inflation have drained liquidity,” analysts led by Chong Jun Wong said. The funding costs “have increased materially because demand has ...

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• 23 February

  US futures advance as Fed aligns with street wagers

  

    Bloomberg US equity-index futures rose as investors grew confident the Federal Reserve’s peak interest rate would be within levels already priced in by markets. Contracts on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 climbed at least 0.4% each after the underlying indexes avoided a selloff following the Fed’s minutes and remarks by officials. The dollar pared its losses and Treasuries ...

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• 23 February

  Taiwan removes short selling curbs as markets stabilise

  

    Bloomberg Taiwan’s financial regulator has removed stock short-selling restrictions that were put in place to curb market declines during a turbulent period in the final quarter of 2022. Taiwan’s Financial Supervisory Commission in October banned shorting stocks at a price lower than the previous close if shares drop more than 3.5% the day before. The ban will be lifted ...

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• 23 February

  Techtronic slumps most since 2008 after short-seller’s report

    Bloomberg Techtronic Industries Co. slumped by the most since November 2008 after short-seller Jehoshaphat Research questioned the accounting methods of the Hong Kong power-tool maker. Shares of Techtronic fell as much as 19% before trading was halted in Hong Kong. The company has been “inflating its profits dramatically for over a decade with manipulative accounting,” Jehoshaphat alleged in a ...

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• 23 February

  UAE rescue mission enters recovery, rehabilitation stage in Syria, Türkiye

  

  Abu Dhabi / WAM The UAE’s Joint Operations Command has announced that the “Chivalrous Knight / 2” operation has entered the recovery and rehabilitation stage to support those affected by the earthquake in Syria and Türkiye. The Joint Operations Command — through maritime aid corridor — will mobilise humanitarian, food, and medical assistance while continuing the operations through the existing ...

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