February, 2021

• 17 February

  Billionaire Hindujas pay 61% premium to boost IndusInd stake

  

  Bloomberg The billionaire Hinduja family paid a premium to boost its stake in IndusInd Bank Ltd., a sign of confidence in the Indian private-sector lender as concerns over its asset quality ease. IndusInd International Holdings Ltd., which represents the bank’s founding Hinduja clan, completed a rights issue to fund the conversion of warrants to shares in the Mumbai-based bank, it …

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• 17 February

  JPMorgan offers firms an exit for costly state Covid bailouts

  

  Bloomberg JPMorgan Chase & Co. is working with about 10 stressed or distressed borrowers in Europe hoping to lower cost of government bailout loans in debt market, according to senior bankers. Most of the companies are trying to offload loans made last year to help them survive the pandemic and lock in lower rates, Daniel Rudnicki Schlumberger, the bank’s co-head …

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• 17 February

  Goldman pledges $25m to historically black colleges

  

  Bloomberg Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said it would commit $25 million to a five-year program aiding historically black colleges and universities. In its first year, the initiative will include 125 students who will get training in fundamental finance skills, the New York-based company said in an emailed statement. “Diversity is an imperative for our organisation,” Chief Executive Officer David Solomon …

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• 17 February

  Ex-UniCredit CEO Mustier to plan SPAC

  Bloomberg Ex-UniCredit SpA Chief Executive Officer Jean Pierre Mustier plans to raise funds for a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), the latest former top banker to take advantage of the trend for blank check vehicles. Mustier, who left UniCredit last week after a boardroom power struggle, plans to work on the SPAC with former Bank of America Corp. executive Diego …

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• 17 February

  BOJ must avoid ETF buys fuelling stock bubble: Ex-official

  

  Bloomberg A three-decade high for Japan’s soaring stocks is adding to pressure on the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to tweak its buying of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), according to the former head of its financial markets department. “Shares could be rising on a bubble and the BOJ could be helping inflate that bubble,” Hiromi Yamaoka said in an interview, the same …

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• 17 February

  Treasury yields hold near one-year high; stocks drop

  

  Bloomberg Treasury yields held near their highest in a year on Wednesday, while European stocks slipped as investors assessed the bond selloff and a busy day for earnings. The Stoxx 600 Index dropped for a second day, weighed down by retailers, despite some positive corporate news. Akzo Nobel NV rises after beating estimates and announcing plans to repurchase 1 billion …

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• 17 February

  Won falls prey to outflows as locals join foreigners’ exodus

  

  Bloomberg At first glance, the weakness in South Korea’s won is an anomaly. Risk appetite is picking up but the currency is heading south. The won, which is susceptible to swings in global sentiment, has dropped almost 2% versus the dollar since the start of the year. It’s underperforming all its emerging Asian peers just as global growth bets are …

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• 16 February

  Oil holds near $60 in New York as power crisis hits US supply

  

  Bloomberg Oil held gains in New York after rising above $60 a barrel for the first time in a year as a deepening energy crisis in the US disrupted crude production and forced the shutdown of some of the nation’s biggest refineries. As much as 1.7 million barrels a day of oil output has halted and deliveries via pipeline suspended …

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• 16 February

  OFID’s $20m loan to benefit 1.6m Kenyans

  VIENNA / WAM The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) has signed a $20 million public sector loan agreement with Kenya to increase regional connectivity, enhance trade and improve the socio-economic welfare of about 1.6 million people. The loan will finance the upgrading of the 90 km Samatar – Wajir Road, a part of the North and North-Eastern Development Initiative …

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• 16 February

  Germany seeks deal with Biden on controversial pipeline

  

  Bloomberg Germany wants to make a deal with the US in order to complete the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas project that has caused friction between the two countries. The 1,230-kilometre (764-mile) gas pipeline that’ll bring the fuel from Russia to Germany has been a persistent source of trans-Atlantic friction. Its construction was halted for a year after the US …

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