January, 2018

• 20 January

  Indian bank shares surge on FDI plans

  Bloomberg Indian bank shares surged the most since November on a report the government is considering allowing foreign investors to own larger stakes in the country’s lenders. The Bankex Index, a gauge for 10 lenders, rose 2 percent to a new record high as of 9:30 a.m. in Mumbai. Gains were led by privately owned Yes Bank Ltd., which is …

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• 20 January

  Bank of Canada raises rates but cautions stimulus still needed

  

  Bloomberg The Bank of Canada indicated it’s in no rush to pursue aggressive interest rate hikes, citing “important unknowns” such as the future of Nafta as it raised borrowing costs for the third time since July. At a rate decision, central bank officials led by Governor Stephen Poloz sought to quell expectations Canada’s economic boom could prompt them to move …

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• 20 January

  Barclays cuts 100 senior staff in investment bank overhaul

  

  Bloomberg Barclays Plc is eliminating as many as 100 senior staff at its investment bank as the unit’s chief, Tim Throsby, overhauls the underperforming division, according to people familiar with the decision. The cutbacks will fall mainly at the managing director and director levels and are evenly split between Europe and the US, said the people, who asked not to …

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• 20 January

  Standard Chartered expects Argentine peso to end 2018 stronger

  Bloomberg The Argentine peso has a split personality, with analysts forecasting both big losses in the spot market and the highest total return for emerging-market investors. The reason for the divergence comes down to inflation and interest rates. Consumer-price increases of more than 20 percent will wreak havoc on the peso’s value, but any weakness will be more than offset …

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• 20 January

  BofA has more to trim to reach its $53 billion cost target

  

  Bloomberg Bank of America Corp. once excited investors by pledging steep cost cuts by the end of this year. It still has a ways to go. The lender showed promise on revenue growth, as net interest income jumped to the highest in more than five years and revenue from trading and investment banking both topped estimates. Now, analysts question whether …

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• 17 January

  GCC needs $131bn in power investment in next five years

  

  DUBAI / WAM A new report from Middle East Electricity (MEE) states the GCC requires a combined $131 billion worth of investment in electricity generation, transmission and distribution over the next five years to cope with increasing demand from growing populations, expanding economies and climatic changes. The report, ‘GCC Power Market’, reveals that despite the GCC’s current power-generating capacity of …

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• 17 January

  US stocks gain as earnings continue, BofA beats estimates

  

  Bloomberg US stocks rose as earnings season continued with another major bank reporting healthy results. The dollar rose, while Treasuries declined with gold, as Congress appeared closer to a deal to avert a government shutdown after January 19. All major equity gauges were higher, with semiconductor companies leading gainers. The S&P 500 Index climbed after Bank of America Corp. beat …

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• 17 January

  Bitcoin sinks below $10,000

  

  Bloomberg Bitcoin tumbled below $10,000, bringing its loss to almost 50 percent from a record set only a month ago, as increased scrutiny from regulators around the world weighs on the digital- coin craze. The largest cryptocurrency dropped 10 percent to $9,610.05 as of 9:33 am in New York, its first foray below $10,000 since December 1, according to consolidated …

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• 17 January

  Gulf stock markets mixed

  Reuters Gulf stock markets were mixed on Wednesday with Masraf Al Rayan, Qatar’s second-largest bank by market value, pulling the Qatari stock index 0.2 percent lower. Shares in Masraf Al Rayan sank 2.7 percent after the bank reported a 9.6 percent drop in fourth-quarter net profit to 466 million riyals, below an average 562.5 million riyal forecast by Reuters analysts. …

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• 17 January

  China solar boom boosts clean energy funding near record

  

  Bloomberg China’s insatiable appetite for solar power led to a surprise increase in global clean-energy investment last year even as US President Donald Trump pushed to undermine pollution rules and curbs on coal. About $333.5 billion poured into renewable energy and cutting-edge power technologies, up 3 percent from 2016 and 7 percent short of the record set in 2015, according …

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