January, 2020

• 15 January

  UK inflation slowdown ramps up view a rate cut is imminent

  

  Bloomberg The path to a Bank of England (BOE) interest-rate cut as soon as this month became clearer on Wednesday after inflation unexpectedly slowed to a three-year low. The pound fell and traders increased bets that policy makers would reduce rates on January 30, as the shock reading reinforced speculation fuelled by dovish comments from BOE Governor Mark Carney and …

  Read More »
• 15 January

  Fed announces plans for repo operations through to mid-Feb

  

  Bloomberg The Federal Reserve Bank of New York announced plans to conduct repurchase agreement operations through until at least February13, although the size of term operations will be trimmed to $30 billion from the start of next month. The central bank did not elaborate on plans beyond that. The move extends a programme that has been in place since it …

  Read More »
• 15 January

  China adds $58 billion into banking system

  

  Bloomberg China added liquidity to the financial system on Wednesday, helping to offset a cash squeeze ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. It kept interest rates on the loans unchanged. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) added 300 billion yuan ($44 billion) through the medium-term lending facility at 3.25%, according to a statement from the central bank. It also …

  Read More »
• 15 January

  Officials at ECB see euro-area economy stabilising this year

  

  Bloomberg The euro-area economy is starting to regain its footing, two European Central Bank officials said, suggesting monetary policy will stay on hold for now. Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau told bankers in Paris that recessions in the US or Europe can practically be excluded this year. Speaking earlier in Frankfurt, Executive Board member Yves Mersch said …

  Read More »
• 15 January

  Australian dollar’s trade war pain may worsen after deal

  

  Bloomberg In the two years since the US-China trade war erupted, Australia’s dollar has weakened around 10%. It may drop even further when the dispute is resolved. The Aussie could slide more than 5% to 65 US cents this year, according to QIC Ltd and Capital Economics. If Beijing buys more American goods at the expense of Australian products as …

  Read More »
• 15 January

  Citigroup’s head of Emea junk trading quits bank

  Bloomberg Paras Shah, Citigroup Inc’s head of high-yield credit trading for Europe, the Middle East and Africa and one of its highest-profile traders, has left the bank, according to people familiar with the matter. The 31-year-old departed this month, according to some of the people who aren’t authorised to speak publicly and asked not to be named. Shah worked at …

  Read More »
• 15 January

  US stocks climb to records before trade pact signing

  

  Bloomberg US stocks rose to all-time highs as America and China prepared to sign their initial trade accord. The dollar weakened against most major peers and Treasuries gained. The benchmark S&P 500 set an intraday record for the sixth consecutive trading session, largely ignoring disappointing quarterly results from Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Bank of America Corp. Healthcare and utilities …

  Read More »
• 15 January

  Pound slips after inflation, Saunders boost BOE rate bets

  

  Bloomberg The pound slid and gilts rallied after inflation data backed up Bank of England (BOE) policy maker Michael Saunders’ call for urgent stimulus to boost the UK economy. Sterling dipped below $1.30 and 10-year government bond yields dropped to the lowest in seven weeks the data fuelled bets that the central bank will lower interest rates this year. Money …

  Read More »
• 15 January

  Bitcoin buyers can ignore most exchanges, says study

  Bloomberg A handful of Bitcoin exchanges are key to setting prices, allowing traders to largely ignore the myriad of other bourses without the risk of missing major moves, according to a new study. Only 10 markets — among them Binance, Liquid, Huobi, Coinbase and HitBTC — are where most price discovery takes place, and moves that originate there later migrate …

  Read More »
• 15 January

  Boeing’s ‘bad’ internal emails strengthen crash victim suits

  

  Bloomberg Internal emails from Boeing Co employees could strengthen the legal case for families claiming the company’s push to minimise the training needed for new 737 Max aircraft contributed to two crashes that killed 346 people. Employees bragged about fooling the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) into thinking pilots who’d flown older 737 models would need only computer training to fly …

  Read More »