January, 2023

• 10 January

  SNB’s $143 bilion record loss costs Swiss govt usual payout

  

    Bloomberg Switzerland’s government will not receive a payout from the Swiss National Bank (SNB) for 2022, as the central bank projects the biggest loss in its 116-year history. The SNB expects an annual loss of about 132 billion francs ($143 billion), more than five times the previous record, it said on Monday in preliminary results. The largest part of ...

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• 10 January

  China Citic bank offers Covid shots in HK to woo mainland cash

  

  Bloomberg A Hong Kong unit of state-backed China Citic Bank Corp. is offering free Covid-19 mRNA vaccinations to sign up wealthy new customers as the border between the financial hub and mainland China reopened after three years of travel and quarantine restrictions. For customers who put in at least HK$4 million ($512,300) and sign up for a dual currency credit ...

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• 10 January

  UBS sees wealth business boost as China reopens, looks to hire

  

    Bloomberg UBS group predicts an increase in business for its bank’s key wealth division in Asia this year after a difficult period last year and is looking to add talent, its Asia Pacific president said. “I think our wealth management will power away this year, because of what’s happening in China, opening up and creating a more positive outlook ...

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• 10 January

  Sri Lanka’s banks should cancel debt: Academics

  

    Bloomberg Sri Lanka’s bondholders aren’t living up to their obligations and should cancel debt to allow the country to get out of its economic crisis, a group of international academics said in a letter. Private creditors own almost 40% of the country’s external debt, mostly in the form of International Sovereign Bonds, but higher interest rates mean they receive ...

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• 10 January

  Credit Suisse loses two senior private bankers in Hong Kong

    Bloomberg Credit Suisse Group AG has lost two more senior private bankers in Hong Kong as attrition woes continue at the Swiss bank, according to people familiar with the matter. Mandy Loo, a managing director for the China market, and Howard Wu, a team leader for Greater China investment consultants, have both left the bank, said the people, asking ...

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• 10 January

  ECB sees ‘very strong’ wage growth ahead in next few quarters

  

    Bloomberg The European Central Bank (ECB) predicts wage growth — a key indicator of where inflation is headed — will be “very strong” in the coming quarters, strengthening the case for more interest-rate hikes. A study of salary developments since the start of the pandemic shows underlying pay growth has been “relatively moderate” and is currently close to its ...

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• 10 January

  Asia stocks on track to enter bull market as China rally extends

  

    Bloomberg Asia’s benchmark stock index was on track to enter a bull market, as China’s reopening and a weakening dollar lure investors back to the region. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index climbed as much as 1.9% on Monday, taking its advance from an October 24 low to more than 20%. Gauges in Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea led ...

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• 10 January

  Crypto tops stocks, gold on best bitcoin streak in nearly a year

  

    Bloomberg A cryptocurrency sector battered by turmoil last year is showing some signs of life early in 2023, posting bigger gains than other major asset classes including stocks, bonds and gold. The MVIS CryptoCompare Digital Assets 100 Index of top tokens is up some 6% so far this month, exceeding advances of about 2% in global stocks, 1% in ...

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• 9 January

  UAE a trading capital of the world, says Thani Al Zeyoudi

  

  Abu Dhabi / WAM Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade said that the UAE continues to leverage its global presence by opening up to the world and expanding its network of trading partners through comprehensive economic partnership agreements with a carefully selected group of markets of strategic importance internationally and regionally. The minister made ...

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• 9 January

  ‘Adverse shocks’ could push global economy in recession

  

    Bloomberg The World Bank is concerned that “further adverse shocks” could push the global economy into recession in 2023, with small states especially vulnerable. The warning is contained in an abstract for the bi-annual “Global Economic Prospects” report due for release on Tuesday and visible on the group’s Open Knowledge Repository website. Even without another crisis, global growth this ...

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