April, 2022

• 1 April

  UK credit card borrowing hits a record as consumers squeezed

  

    Bloomberg UK credit card borrowing jumped at its strongest pace in records dating back to 1993, adding to evidence that a surge in the cost of living is straining household finances. Borrowing on charge cards rose 1.5 billion pounds ($2 billion) in February alone, the Bank of England said. That drove up the value of unsecured credit including personal …

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• 1 April

  JPMorgan’s UK digital bank offers 1.5% savings account

    Bloomberg JPMorgan Chase & Co’s fledgling digital bank is going after more customers in the UK with a new savings account. Chase, which launched in the UK last September, will offer a variable interest rate of 1.5%, the company said. That’s more than double the rate offered by similar online banks including Goldman Sachs Group Marcus. Deposits will be …

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• 1 April

  African bank Ecobank sees slower growth this year

  

    Bloomberg Ecobank Transnational Inc, the pan-African lender with operations in 35 countries, foresees slower growth this year as a devaluation of local currencies pushes up its costs and make it more difficult for its clients to do business. The Togo-based lender predicts revenue growth will slow to 1% to 3% this year, from 5% in 2021, while loan extensions …

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• 1 April

  Philippines central bank holds key rate

    Bloomberg The Philippine central bank, which held interest rates steady, warned inflation may breach its target this year and that it stands ready to respond to a build up in price pressures. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas left the benchmark rate at a record low 2%, as predicted by all 23 economists in a Bloomberg survey. Its last rate move …

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• 1 April

  Czech central bank set to hike rates as war fuels inflation

  

    Bloomberg The Czech Republic is likely to extend its aggressive campaign of interest-rate increases as the war in Ukraine fuels already rampant inflation and overshadows risks to economic growth. The Czech National Bank will raise the key rate by at least a half-point to 5%, according to a large majority of analysts in a Bloomberg survey, adding to a …

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• 1 April

  Food delivery stocks lose $24b in just three months

  

  Bloomberg In a market gripped by concerns over rising interest rates and soaring inflation, investors are avoiding European food delivery companies, turned off by their steep losses and determined efforts to expand. Shares in Delivery Hero SE plunged 59% last quarter, the second-worst performance in Europe’s Stoxx 600 Index. Peers Just Eat Takeaway.com N.V. and Deliveroo Plc dropped more than …

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• 1 April

  China tech stocks drop for second day amid risks from US delisting

  

    Bloomberg Chinese technology stocks fell for a second day amid continued concern about the risk of local firms getting kicked off American exchanges. The Hang Seng Tech Index, which tracks some of the biggest Chinese firms in the sector, closed down 0.7% Friday, having earlier lost as much as 3.9%. It falls 1.4% after the US securities regulator played …

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• 1 April

  GameStop shares up 22%

  Bloomberg GameStop Corp shares surged as much as 22% in extended trading after the company said it plans to ask shareholders for approval of a stock split in the form of a dividend. The gaming retailer will request at its upcoming annual meeting that shareholders approve a proposal to increase the number of Class A shares to 1 billion from …

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March, 2022

• 31 March

  China weighs raising billions to rescue troubled financial firms

  

    Bloomberg Chinese authorities are considering a plan to raise several hundred billion yuan for a new fund to backstop troubled financial firms. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) is leading the effort, seeking to shore up confidence in the $60 trillion financial system as the economy slows and a debt crisis in the property industry spreads. The stability fund …

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• 31 March

  ECB in daily contact with lenders on Russia sanctions

  

    Bloomberg The European Central Bank (ECB) said it is in daily contact with banks on how they’re dealing with implications from sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. “In particular, we are assessing whether banks have implemented adequate internal governance arrangements and controls to adhere to the sanctions,” Andrea Enria, who leads the ECB’s supervisory board, said during …

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