December, 2019

• 18 December

  Aramco falls below $2tn as stock extends decline

  

  Bloomberg Shares in Saudi Aramco dropped for a second day in a row a week after its record initial public offering, pushing its market value just below $2 trillion, the level sought by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Shares ended 2.8% lower at 36.70 riyals in Riyadh, giving the company a total value of $1.96 trillion. The stock was included …

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• 18 December

  China liquidity jitters are set to test bond market again

  

  Bloomberg China’s government-bond investors will soon be looking for reassurance from the central bank that there’s plenty of cash in the financial system. The country will see a “liquidity hole” of 2.8 trillion yuan ($400 billion) in January, in large part because people across the nation will withdraw cash for the Lunar New Year holiday, according to Guotai Junan Securities …

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• 18 December

  ECB may let Greek banks buy more of sovereign debt

  

  Bloomberg The European Central Bank’s (ECB) Single Supervisory Mechanism will likely lift the ceiling on Greek banks’ holdings of the country’s sovereign bonds, people familiar with the situation said. The supervisory ceiling set in 2015 is expected to be lifted in February, according to the people, who asked not to be named discussing ongoing deliberations. European and national authorities warned …

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• 18 December

  Thailand holds interest rate as growth forecasts lowered

  

  Bloomberg The Bank of Thailand held its benchmark interest rate steady at an all-time low and cut its forecasts for economic growth, saying it was gauging whether further efforts were needed to restrain the local currency. The central bank kept its policy rate at 1.25% on Wednesday in a unanimous decision. All 23 economists in a Bloomberg survey predicted a …

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• 18 December

  Togo gets $150mn loan from World Bank to refinance debt

  

  Bloomberg Togo and the World Bank have agreed a $150 million loan to refinance its more expensive debt after the global lender failed to guarantee the initial 300 million euros that the country is seeking. “Due to the refusal of the new board of the World Bank to guarantee the syndicated loans,” Togo has held discussions on a cheaper loan,” …

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• 18 December

  Traders bet for BOE rate cuts in 2020

  Bloomberg Traders have ramped up bets for the Bank of England (BOE) to lower interest rates at the end of 2020 after Prime Minister Boris Johnson reignited fears of a no-deal Brexit. Money markets see an 80% probability of the central bank cutting by 25 basis points in December 2020, up from about 30%. While Johnson’s victory last week fueled …

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• 18 December

  Singapore digital bank wannabes must prove they can profit

  

  Bloomberg Grab Holdings Inc and gaming company Razer Inc will need to demonstrate how their millions of users can help them generate profits if the two technology firms are to win one of Singapore’s coveted virtual banking licenses. That’s because the Monetary Authority of Singapore is putting more emphasis on profitability and strong capital requirements than some other regulators inviting …

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• 18 December

  PG&E wins court sign-off on fire deals, now faces governor

  

  Bloomberg PG&E Corp won court approval for two multibillion-dollar wildfire settlements that will serve as the centerpiece of the bankrupt utility giant’s restructuring plan. It’s still working on winning over California’s governor. The judge overseeing PG&E’s Chapter 11 case signed off on the company’s $13.5 billion plan to compensate victims of catastrophic fires blamed on its equipment and an $11 …

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• 18 December

  US futures, Europe stocks fluctuate; pound weakens

  

  Bloomberg US equity futures and European stocks drifted on Wednesday as investors digested a flurry of corporate news amid a lull in trade-war headlines. Bonds were mixed and the pound weakened. Contracts on the three main American equity benchmarks pointed to a directionless open a day after the S&P 500 Index closed just one index point higher at a new …

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• 18 December

  FedEx plunges as bad results spur outlook cut

  

  Bloomberg FedEx Corp plunged after cutting its profit forecast for the second straight quarter, as weak international demand hurt sales and the courier ramped up investment to handle soaring e-commerce deliveries. The results for the company’s fiscal second quarter were “breathtakingly bad,” with weakness in both the ground-delivery unit and air-cargo business, said Deutsche Bank AG analyst Amit Mehrotra. Adjusted …

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