April, 2019

• 14 April

  Oil refiners could be outed in quest to avoid biofuel quotas

  

  Bloomberg The Trump administration is weighing a plan that could force some of the nation’s biggest oil companies to come clean about their bids to dodge US biofuel mandates. The Environmental Protection Agency said in a notice it was opening a 15-day window for the public to comment on whether it should reveal “basic information” about refineries seeking waivers from …

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• 14 April

  Petrobras situation can be fixed: Minister

  Bloomberg Brazilian Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said he’ll clear up any confusion from President Jair Bolsonaro’s decision to halt a planned fuel-price hike by Petroleo Brasileiro SA. When asked about Bolsonaro’s meddling in state-controlled Petrobras’ pricing policy this week, Guedes said he’d get more information when he returns home from Washington, where he’s been attending the spring meetings of IMF. …

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• 14 April

  Wall Street’s most-hated stock trade nears dot com-era nadir

  

  Bloomberg For students of market history, the third month of the 21st century is infamous. March 2000 was when the Nasdaq Composite Index marked a peak in the dot-com bubble. By the end of the year, it fell by more than 50 percent, with more losses to follow. That month was one of the last times the world’s cheapest companies …

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• 14 April

  Brexit delay leaves pound prospects in suspended state

  

  Bloomberg Pound analysts are struggling to find reasons to be optimistic even after the immediate threat of a no-deal Brexit was lifted. Sterling strengthened this week as the UK and European Union agreed to extend the divorce deadline to October 31, but its gains were well short of what strategists had previously predicted for such a scenario. The currency’s prospects …

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• 14 April

  Global finance chiefs prepared to ‘act promptly’ on growth

  

  Bloomberg Global finance ministers and central bankers are prepared to “act promptly” to shore up growth in a world economy that faces downside risks including trade tensions, according to a statement. While growth is projected to firm up in 2020, “risks remain tilted to the downside,” according to a communique by the International Monetary and Financial Committee, the main advisory …

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• 14 April

  Rate-hike path is data dependent, says BOC’s Poloz

  

  Bloomberg Bank of Canada (BOC) Governor Stephen Poloz said whether he’s done with hiking altogether is a “data-dependent question,” adding the economy continues to work through headwinds that warrant stimulative rates. Asked at a press briefing in Washington about investor expectations that the Canadian central bank’s rate normalisation has come to an end, Poloz said market pricing seems to be …

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• 14 April

  ECB’s Draghi sounds concern over Fed’s independence

  

  Bloomberg European Central Bank President Mario Draghi took the rare step of weighing in on the hot debate over whether President Donald Trump is undermining the independence of the Federal Reserve. Speaking to reporters at the International Monetary Fund meetings in Washington, Draghi said he was “certainly worried about central bank independence” and especially “in the most important jurisdiction in …

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• 14 April

  Central banks need to be flexible on size of rate moves: RBI chief

  

  Bloomberg Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das has an “out of the box” suggestion: central banks need to be more flexible on the size of their interest-rate moves. Instead of a conventional 25 basis point cut and announcement of a dovish, hawkish or neutral stance to give guidance on future actions, policy makers could just change the rate to …

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• 14 April

  SNB hints at reducing ultra-low rates again

  

  Bloomberg The Swiss National Bank (SNB) could reduce its already ultra-low interest rates again if the situation warrants, President Thomas Jordan said. With a deposit rate of minus 0.75 percent, the SNB has already enacted the lowest interest rate of any major central bank. That tool is designed to keep pressure off the franc, which is regarded as a safe …

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• 14 April

  British tycoon lashes out as US funds invade UK retail crisis

  

  Bloomberg UK retail billionaire Mike Ashley is lashing out after losing a fight with US hedge funds over department store chain Debenhams Plc. The retail magnate, who made British headlines for substandard working conditions at his sporting goods chain, has been blasting Debenhams management and making legal threats since lenders took control, wiping out his roughly 30 percent stake. The …

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