January, 2020

• 8 January

  Bitcoin climbs higher after surging through $8,000 level

  Bloomberg Bitcoin climbed to the highest since November after breaching the $8,000 price level. Concerns about an escalation in the conflict between the US and Iran are seen as contributing to the rally in Bitcoin, which is not managed by a government. “Bitcoin and gold are well supported due to rising tensions between the US and Iran,” said Emmanuel Goh, …

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• 8 January

  China’s super wealthy are twice as likely to have real estate to thank, reports UBS

  

  Bloomberg China’s wealthy families are twice as likely as global peers to have made their millions in real estate, according to a report co-authored by UBS Group AG, which found an increasing focus on wealth preservation and succession. Almost 30% of participants surveyed said their family wealth came from property, followed by consumer discretionary and industrials. The swelling ranks of …

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• 7 January

  Quartet condemns military intervention in Libya

  ABU DHABI / WAM The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt have issued a joint statement rejecting the Turkish parliament’s passing of the motion earlier this week to allow a military intervention in Libya. Saudi Arabia’s Consultative Assembly issued the joint statement, along with the UAE’s Federal National Council, Egypt’s House of Representatives, and Bahrain’s Consultative Council, in light of …

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• 7 January

  India sees slowest growth since 2013

  

  Bloomberg India’s economy is on track for its slowest growth since at least 2013, weighed down by a shadow banking crisis, weak investment and a slump in spending. Gross domestic product will grow 5% in the year through March 2020, the Statistics Ministry said in a statement in New Delhi on Tuesday. That is in line with the median estimate …

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• 7 January

  Oil dips as investors await Iran response

  

  Bloomberg Oil fell from a three-month high in London as traders waited to see whether the clash between the US and Iran would lead to a disruption in Middle East crude supplies. Brent futures retreated towards $68 a barrel after a two-day surge following a US airstrike that killed a top Iranian general pushed prices above $70 for the first …

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• 7 January

  Nordic tourism to GCC countries to reach $810 million by 2024

  

  DUBAI / WAM Nordic tourists travelling to the GCC from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland, are expected to generate an estimated $810 million in travel and tourism revenue by 2024, according to data published ahead of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM, 2020). The latest Colliers International research, commissioned by ATM organiser Reed Travel Exhibitions, predicts the UAE will witness …

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• 7 January

  Fed signals high bar for rate move amid Iran tensions

  

  Bloomberg The risk of a US-Iran conflict is bringing fresh focus to the question of what Jerome Powell meant when he said it will take a “material” change in the outlook for the Federal Reserve to raise or lower interest rates. The answer so far — as investors wait to see how Tehran responds to the US killing of its …

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• 7 January

  UBS to cut 500 jobs in wealth unit revamp

  

  Bloomberg UBS Group AG expects to cut as many as 500 private banking jobs as the lender moves forward with a wealth management overhaul aimed at strengthening regional units and speeding up decision making. As part of the revamp, UBS will split up the private banking business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, giving Caroline Kuhnert responsibility for central …

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• 7 January

  Kotak halts bid for shadow bank Altico

  

  Bloomberg The race to find a rescuer for a struggling Indian shadow bank at the center of an industry crisis has narrowed. Altico Capital India Ltd is one of the latest caught up in the nation’s shadow banking crisis that started in 2018, and had been courting suitors. One of them, Kotak Investment Advisors Ltd, won’t make a binding bid …

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• 7 January

  S’pore sees ‘strong interest’ for digital banking license

  

  Bloomberg Singapore has received “strong interest” in its effort to open up the banking industry to fresh competition after 21 groups made bids for digital licenses, the financial regulator said. A “diverse group” lodged applications, including e-commerce, technology and tele communications companies, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said on Tuesday, without identifying the parties. Seven were for digital full-bank …

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