January, 2020

• 14 January

  Yen falls past 110 to 8-month low as US-China ties thaw

  

  Bloomberg The yen weakened past 110 per dollar for the first time in almost eight months as the imminent signing of a US-China trade deal sapped demand for haven assets. Japan’s currency fell as much as 0.2% to 110.21 as the Trump administration removed its designation of China as a currency manipulator before Wednesday’s planned signing of a phase-one agreement. ...

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• 14 January

  US drops China as currency manipulator as ties thaw

  

  Bloomberg The Trump administration lifted its designation of China as a currency manipulator, saying the nation has made “enforceable commitments” not to devalue the yuan and has agreed to publish exchange-rate information. The change in the US stance was outlined in the US Treasury Department’s semiannual foreign-exchange report to Congress. The document was released two days before America and China ...

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• 14 January

  India appoints career central banker as RBI deputy governor

  

  Bloomberg Michael Patra was appointed deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), beefing up the leadership of the institution at a time of economic and banking stress. Patra takes office for a period of three years from the date of joining or until further orders, according to a statement from the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. He’ll be ...

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• 14 January

  UBS wins early reprieve from HK IPO ban

  

  Bloomberg UBS Group AG won an early release from a ban on sponsoring initial public offerings in Hong Kong, setting it up to once again broker deals in the world’s busiest market. The lifting of the ban comes after UBS “engaged and cooperated” with an independent 10-month review over its policies, procedures and practices, the Securities and Futures Commission said ...

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• 14 January

  Visa to buy Plaid in a bid to reach startups

  

  Bloomberg Visa Inc grew into one of the world’s most valuable financial companies by serving as the pipes that help connect banks and merchants. Now, it’s making a major bet on doing the same for data between banks and financial startups. Visa agreed to pay $5.3 billion for Plaid, a fintech firm that connects popular apps like Venmo to customers’ ...

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• 14 January

  Danske offers 2,000 staff option to quit amid cost focus

  

  Bloomberg Danske Bank A/S is offering 2,000 of its employees in Denmark a sweetened package to step down as the cost of adapting to a world with stricter regulations and negative interest rates just keeps growing. Staff have until the end of January to decide, according to an emailed comment sent by the bank. Denmark’s bankers’ union said Danske is ...

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• 14 January

  Fed’s Bostic sees no overheating, reason to raise rates

  Bloomberg The Federal Reserve can “sit back” and allow the economy to keep growing because there are no signs of overheating, said Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic. “The economy is doing fine,” he told the Rotary Club of Atlanta. “There is not a lot that we have to do to stimulate or slow down. We’re not seeing ...

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• 14 January

  Heathrow deploys system to block drones from its airspace

  

  Bloomberg London’s Heathrow airport has deployed a system designed to block drones entering its airspace following a string of recent attempts that threatened Europe’s busiest travel hub. The airport, classified as a flight restriction zone by authorities, is now using a product manufactured by France’s Thales SA to detect and identify drones. The French company declined on Tuesday to detail ...

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• 14 January

  Vietnam’s Vingroup grounds aviation unit

  

  Bloomberg Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup JSC is abandoning plans to launch Vinpearl Air so it can focus on other businesses, including electric vehicle manufacturing. “The aviation market of Vietnam has a lot of potential and is developing strongly, but it also has large companies already in operation,” Vingroup Vice Chairman Nguyen Viet Quang said in an email statement. “Vingroup’s strong investment ...

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• 14 January

  Hong Kong jewellery giant to shut stores amid protests

  

  Bloomberg Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Ltd said it plans to shut about 15 of its Hong Kong stores after their leases expire this year, in a sign that major retailers are starting to withdraw from the city’s economy as anti-China protests continue. In the first significant pullback by a luxury retailer after months of fiery demonstrations that have driven ...

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