January, 2019

• 9 January

  EDF unit draws bidders for its oil and gas assets

  Bloomberg Electricite de France SA’s Italian unit has attracted potential bidders including Neptune Energy and Warburg Pincus’s Apex International Energy for its oil and gas business, people familiar with the matter said. Bidders for Edison SpA’s exploration and production assets, primarily located in Egypt and Italy, may offer as much as $2 billion, the people said, asking not to be …

  Read More »
• 9 January

  Stocks climb amid optimism over US-China ‘agreement’

  

  Bloomberg Stocks rose globally after the US and China concluded three days of trade talks and appeared to be closer to agreement on a number of areas. The dollar dipped and Treasuries were steady as investors awaited the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve’s December meeting, which may offer insight into the decision to raise rates and the pace …

  Read More »
• 9 January

  Indian stocks head for tough year ahead

  

  Bloomberg The party’s over for Indian equities, with stocks headed for another tough year as a shrinking global cash pool dims prospects of an improving economy and expected recovery in company earnings boosting stocks, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch. “Imagine you are at a New Year party and happy to find out that there’s more room to dance …

  Read More »
• 9 January

  Fed’s Bostic trims his rate outlook for 2019 to one hike

  

  Bloomberg The US central bank should only raise interest rates once this year but keep going with its plan to gradually shrink the balance sheet, said Raphael Bostic, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and one of the Fed’s more dovish policy makers. “Coming into this year, a year ago, I saw two moves for 2019. Right now, …

  Read More »
• 9 January

  Ex-BOJ official sees yen rising to 100

  

  Bloomberg There is a good chance the yen will strengthen to 100 against the dollar in coming months as slowing global growth and US-China trade tensions keep investors on edge, a former senior Bank of Japan official said. While that level would be tolerable, there is little the depleted BOJ can do about further yen strength or a serious downturn …

  Read More »
• 9 January

  SEB to launch new sustainability push

  

  Bloomberg Swedish lender SEB AB plans to hire 10 advisers to kick start a new push into all things energy. The bank is building a new unit within investment banking to focus on energy, an area that for SEB involves the shift away from fossil fuels to renewables, sustainable infrastructure projects, electrification and building sustainable societies, Chief Executive Officer Johan …

  Read More »
• 9 January

  Barclays raider’s strategy is wrong, say analysts

  

  Bloomberg Analysts at Citigroup Inc and Berenberg poured cold water on Edward Bramson’s plans to obtain a seat on Barclays Plc’s board and shift its strategy away from the investment bank. “We believe Mr Bramson will ultimately prove unsuccessful in his objective to obtain a board seat,” said ana- lysts at Citigroup including Andrew Coombs. He “would need a shareholder …

  Read More »
• 9 January

  Thailand bank merger could give Scotiabank path to exit from nation

  

  Bloomberg A bank merger in Thailand may finally give Bank of Nova Scotia a path to retreat from the Southeast Asian nation after three years of trying. Thai lenders Thanachart Bank Pcl and TMB Bank Pcl are in talks to merge in a deal supported by Thailand’s government. Such a transaction could give Canada’s Scotiabank — which owns 49 percent …

  Read More »
• 9 January

  HSBC reveals gender pay gap widened to 61 pct

  Bloomberg Pay for female staff at HSBC Holdings Plc’s UK business fell further behind male colleagues’ in the last year, according to new figures from the London-based bank. Women at HSBC earned 61 percent less on average compared with male employees at the lender, a wider gap than the 59 percent difference the firm reported a year ago, already the …

  Read More »
• 9 January

  Heathrow resumes flights after latest drone menace

  

  Bloomberg Heathrow airport resumed flights after being partially shut for more than an hour as drone sightings near its runways raised safety concerns, marking the second time in a month that a London hub has had to suspend flights because of dangers from the modern-day gadgets. Departures were halted after the sightings in the vicinity of Europe’s busiest airport after …

  Read More »