January, 2018

• 24 January

  Mizuho CEO sees 2 more years of BOJ easing

  

  Bloomberg The Bank of Japan will continue with its unprecedented monetary easing policy for a “couple more years” and it will remain tough for lenders to make money from doling out credit, according to the top executive at Mizuho Financial Group Inc. “Just simple lending business is not so profitable, and this situation will last,” Chief Executive Officer Yasuhiro Sato …

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• 24 January

  China’s $15trn shadow banking edifice shows more cracks

  

  Bloomberg Strains are spreading in China’s $15 trillion shadow banking industry as investors pull back from the debt-like savings products that helped drive leverage to dangerous levels. Most affected are some $3.8 trillion of so-called trust products, until now the fastest-growing shadow banking segment and a popular way for debt-ridden property developers and local governments to raise funds from millions …

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• 23 January

  US stocks rise on corporate earnings as Treasuries climb

  

  Bloomberg US stocks pushed higher amid strong corporate results, while Treasuries rose after the Bank of Japan signalled it’ll maintain stimulus. The dollar declined. The S&P 500 Index gained for the third day in a row as investors digested strong earnings, including from Netflix Inc., which helped drive tech shares higher. Of the 68 firms in benchmark that have reported …

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• 23 January

  Most Gulf stock markets firm

  REUTERS Most Gulf stock markets were firm on Tuesday, with conglomerate Aamal Holding surging in Qatar, but blue chip Emaar Properties dragged down Dubai’s index as the stock went ex-dividend. Qatar’s index rose 0.5 percent in active trade as Aamal gained 4.8 percent after saying a unit had spent about 179.5 million riyals ($49.3 million) buying residential assets in Doha, …

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• 23 January

  Trump’s tariffs biggest blow to renewables yet

  

  Bloomberg President Donald Trump dealt his biggest blow to the renewable energy industry yet. Trump approved duties of as much as 30 percent on solar equipment made outside the US, a move that threatens to handicap a $28 billion industry that relies on parts made abroad for 80 percent of its supply. The tariffs are the latest action by Trump …

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• 23 January

  China seeks to replenish gas supplies ahead of icy blast

  

  BEIJING / Reuters China is pulling in ships from all over to avoid a natural gas supply squeeze ahead of another cold snap and as the world’s most populous nation prepares for Spring Festival celebrations. Fuel demand in January and February typically slows as temperatures improve compared with the busiest month, December, but data suggests this year could buck the …

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• 23 January

  Big oil projects start to get off the ground as prices surge

  Bloomberg The global oil industry’s backlog of big drilling projects is starting to shrink as prices improve. From production vessels tapping Brazil’s deep-water reserves to pipes connecting rigs to underwater wells in China, the number of ventures delayed since the oil crash that finally got approval to get off the ground totaled 18 last year, according to a report by …

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• 23 January

  Ban on oil residue a billion-dollar headache for India’s largest refiner

  

  Bloomberg Scraping the bottom of the oil barrel for cheap fuel may be turning into a multi-billion-dollar headache for India’s largest crude refiner. The South Asian nation’s battle against pollution has left Indian Oil Corp. searching for alternative markets to sell petroleum coke, the cheapest and dirtiest among the oil products. A host of new limits on the fuel’s use …

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• 23 January

  FirstEnergy soars as Elliott leads $2.5 billion investment

  

  Bloomberg FirstEnergy Corp. rose the most in almost a decade after announcing a $2.5 billion equity investment by a group including Elliott Management Corp. As part of the deal, the Akron, Ohio-based utility owner is forming a “restructuring working group” that will seek to minimise the time needed to exit the unregulated power business, according to a statement. The company …

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• 23 January

  Bitcoin ban at Nordea has regulator taking backseat

  

  Bloomberg As Nordea Bank AB blazes a trail in Europe by banning its employees from trading Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, the regulator is taking a back seat in a decision-making process it says is better left to the industry. Sweden’s Financial Supervisory Authority thinks “every institution must decide on the details of their internal regulations specifying the rules for their …

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