April, 2022

• 7 April

  Ikea invests $373m in solar parks in Germany, Spain

    Bloomberg Ingka Investments, the investment arm of Ikea’s biggest retailing group, has bought nine solar park projects in Germany and Spain for about $373 million. The projects are being developed by Germany-based Enerparc AG and expected to be ready for construction at the end of this year, according to an emailed statement. The solar energy production “will be sufficient ...

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• 7 April

  India optimistic on US defense talks despite Russia tension

  

  Bloomberg India is optimistic about talks next week with the US on military cooperation even as the Biden administration becomes more vocal in rebuking New Delhi over its reluctance to criticise Russia’s war in Ukraine, people familiar with the matter said. Recent public statements from Washington warning India about consequences for purchases of weapons and discounted oil from Russia are ...

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• 7 April

  Pelosi to visit Taiwan in first such trip for 25 years, says FNN

  

    Bloomberg US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is scheduled to visit Taiwan, according to media reports, a landmark display of American support that triggered a diplomatic protest from Beijing. Pelosi will arrive in Taipei on Sunday following a visit to Japan, according to reports in both Taiwan and Japan, including by Fuji News Network, which cited people it did not ...

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• 7 April

  US, UK, Australia plan to develop hypersonic weapons

  

    Bloomberg The UK, US and Australia said they are working on developing hypersonic weapons — military technology already deployed by Russia in Ukraine — as part of their new trilateral security pact called AUKUS. Their plan is to “accelerate development of advanced hypersonic and counter-hypersonic capabilities,” according to a joint statement. The alliance wants to counter the threat of ...

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• 7 April

  Pakistan’s Khan losing grip on power before court order

  

    Bloomberg Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party is on the verge of losing control of Pakistan’s biggest province days after it lost its majority in the federal parliament, raising the stakes before the Supreme Court’s ruling on his disputed call for national elections. After losing his majority in the lower house National Assembly, the former cricket star’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party is ...

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• 7 April

  Barclays considers moving into lucrative world of private credit

  

    Bloomberg Barclays Plc is developing a global private credit strategy, according to several people familiar with the situation, seeking to take part in the fast-growing $1.2 trillion asset class. The plans are at an early stage, and the details on exactly how Barclays will enter private credit are still under discussion, so the bank hasn’t reached out to external ...

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• 7 April

  Citi recruits four more for health-care banking

  

    Bloomberg Citigroup Inc hired four more health-care investment bankers, doubling down on efforts to increase its market share in the sector. The hires were announced in a memo to staff from Chuck Adams, the global head of the health-care, consumer and wellness investment-banking group. Among the changes: Michael Brock, the former strategy officer at Acepodia, joined the bank last ...

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• 7 April

  Big Canadian banks unanimously expect a 50-point hike next week

  

    Bloomberg It’s unanimous: All six of Canada’s major commercial lenders now expect the Bank of Canada to move ahead with a jumbo rate hike next week. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, National Bank of Canada and Toronto-Dominion Bank ramped up their calls for the central bank to raise its policy rate by half a percentage point to 1% at ...

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• 7 April

  BOJ’s Kuroda standing firm despite weak yen

  

  Bloomberg Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Haruhiko Kuroda won’t change his ultra-low interest rate policy in the coming quarters, even though he’ll come under political pressure to do so over the weak yen, according to one of the country’s former chief currency officials. “The political pressure from the people, parliament and media is going to be a bit higher,” said Hiroshi ...

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• 7 April

  China’s central bank vows to boost economy

    Bloomberg China’s central bank vowed to boost confidence and provide more effective support to the economy, amid mounting growth pressure from the country’s worst Covid-19 outbreak since Wuhan. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) reaffirmed it will step up the magnitude of monetary policy and make it more forward-looking, targeted and autonomous, according to a statement. The central bank ...

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