February, 2019

• 20 February

  PBOC makes first use of tool to boost bank capital

  

  Bloomberg China’s central bank announced the first of a new kind of market operation which aims to encourage financial institutions to issue perpetual bonds to boost their capital. The People’s Bank of China swapped 1.5 billion yuan ($223 million) of 1-year central bank bills for perpetual bonds with a coupon of 2.45 percent, according to a statement on its website …

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• 20 February

  Danske thrown out of Estonia after nation drawn into laundering probe

  

  Bloomberg It’s not every day that a bank gets thrown out of a country. But, Estonia took the extraordinary step of telling Danske Bank A/S to get out. Within two hours, Danske did the country’s financial watchdog one better: the harassed Danish lender annou- nced a retreat from the entire Baltic region as well as Russia. It’s the latest dramatic …

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• 20 February

  Deutsche Bank plans to rebuild S Africa staff

  Bloomberg Deutsche Bank AG plans to start rebuilding its South African workforce just months after scaling back staff and cutting costs as part of a global restructuring. “The hiring we’re currently pursuing is geared towards enhancing the areas where we have global and local strengths, such as fixed income,” South Africa Chief Executive Officer Muneer Ismail said in an interview. …

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• 20 February

  Alberta expects $1.7bn profit from giant crude-by-rail plan

  

  Bloomberg Alberta is preparing a giant crude-by-rail operation to help its oil-sands producers cope with a pipeline crunch, and it expects a big profit from the venture. The Canadian province, which holds the world’s third-largest crude reserves, plans to net C$2.2 billion ($1.7 billion) after investing C$3.7 billion to lease tank cars and buy service from rail providers, generating C$5.9 …

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• 20 February

  US shale boom rolls on despite spending cuts

  

  Bloomberg America’s surging shale oil production shows little sign of abating, despite industrywide spending cuts, as explorers learn to do more with less. Almost all the independent producers have reduced their budgets for 2019, but many still expect to deliver double-digit growth in production this year, fourth-quarter earnings reports show. Growth is slowing but still strong: the US will add …

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• 20 February

  Brexit threatens to dull UK oil’s allure

  Bloomberg Brexit is threatening to spoil the appeal of the UK’s crude in the world’s biggest regional oil market. Seoul-based SK Innovation Co., an Asian buyer of North Sea Forties crude, sees a lower probability of purchases if the UK and South Korea don’t roll over an existing trade deal before Brexit. That’s after British Business Secretary Greg Clark admitted …

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• 20 February

  Singapore property not set for ‘big bump’

  

  Bloomberg Singapore home prices are unlikely to stage a rapid rebound after the government imposed further property curbs in mid-2018, the finance chief of the city-state’s largest developer said. “If we see a 5 percent increase in home prices I think that will be a pretty good year for the Singapore residential market,” CapitaLand Ltd. Chief Financial Officer Andrew Lim …

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• 20 February

  US equity futures drift as Europe, Asia stocks climb

  

  Bloomberg US equity futures struggled for direction and stocks in Europe and Asia climbed as investors awaited the release of minutes from the latest meetings of two of the world’s key central banks. The dollar edged higher and the yuan rose after a report America is asking China to keep its currency stable. Contracts on the Dow Jones and S&P …

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• 20 February

  China’s stock rally nearing $1 trillion

  

  Bloomberg As suddenly as it rolled in, the crisis of confidence that shook Chinese stocks last year may be ending. The rally since January has added more than $893 billion to the value of the country’s equities, lifting Shenzhen’s risky startups and state-backed giants alike. The rebound has been so quick and widespread that it’s already triggered signs of overheating …

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• 20 February

  For tech bulls, Samsung puts Korea back on the map

  

  Bloomberg As Samsung Electronics Co. unveils the next generation of its smartphones on Wednesday, investors will no doubt be looking for a better showing from the mobile giant after a difficult 2018. Based on the hot start from Samsung shares, they already seem to be counting on South Korea’s biggest stock to succeed. It has surged 21 percent so far …

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