February, 2019

• 26 February

  In 2019, Russian economy’s growth will be sharply lower

  

  Whether or not you believe the Russian economy grew 2.3 percent last year, beating the most optimistic expectations, the Russian Economy Ministry doesn’t want anyone to expect a repeat in 2019. That doesn’t mean there will be no baffling statistical anomalies this year, only that, realistically, there’s no reason for a rapid economic expansion. Russia’s official statistical agency, Rosstat, where ...

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• 26 February

  Gold ‘lovers’ need to go cool off

  

  The world’s gold miners have spent years avoiding each others’ gazes like nervous teenagers. Now all of a sudden they’re acting like the thrill has gone. It hasn’t even been two months since Barrick Gold Corp. and Randgold Resources Ltd. announced that their merger was “consummated,” and already Executive Chairman John Thornton appears to be checking out an old flame. ...

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• 26 February

  This is how the world’s high-tax countries do it

  

  There are nations on this earth that tax their citizens far more heavily than the US does. The top spots on the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) rankings of tax revenue as a percentage of gross domestic product in 2017 were held by France (46.2 percent), Denmark (46 percent), Belgium (44.6 percent), Sweden (44 percent) and Finland (43.3 ...

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• 26 February

  Fed hints hiking bias endures as balance-sheet roll off nears end

  

  Bloomberg Federal Reserve policy makers see 2019 marking the end of their balance sheet run-off, but not necessarily their interest-rate increases. Minutes of the central bank’s January 29-30 policy meeting released showed “almost all participants” agreeing it best to halt roll-offs this year, a move that should be welcomed by investors worried the balance sheet draw-down is hurting the economy. ...

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• 26 February

  Investors seeking rate clues in Brazil ‘confirmation hearing’

  

  Bloomberg Roberto Campos Neto needs no introduction in financial markets, but his thoughts on how the central bank could boost Brazil’s recovery have remained a mystery. While the money-making talents of the former Santander treasurer are well known, the Senate confirmation hearing should finally reveal what the nominee for the central bank’s presidency thinks about interest rates, inflation, and Brazil’s ...

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• 26 February

  ECB wins court fight over Rimsevics’ ban

  

  Bloomberg The European Union’s highest court overturned Latvia’s suspension of central bank Governor Ilmars Rimsevics as part of a bribery probe that’s shaken the Baltic nation. In a victory for the European Central Bank, the EU Court of Justice on Tuesday said Latvia last year illegally prohibited the ECB Governing Council member from performing his role as central bank governor. ...

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• 26 February

  BOE steps up Brexit buffers with extra liquidity plans

  Bloomberg The Bank of England stepped up its defenses against a disruptive Brexit, offering lenders extra liquidity provisions over the period covering the UK’s withdrawal. The BOE will hold Indexed Long-Term Repo operations on a weekly instead of monthly basis between March 12 and the end of April — the time surrounding the planned exit date. The approach, designed to ...

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• 26 February

  Australia’s rate-call doyen sees RBA cutting twice this year

  

  Bloomberg The doyen of Australian interest-rate forecasters has shifted ground and now predicts the Reserve Bank will cut twice to counter slower growth and higher unemployment. Bill Evans’s announcement that he expects the RBA to reduce the cash rate by a quarter-percentage point in August and November came less than an hour after employment data showed strong hiring in January. ...

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• 26 February

  Southwest Airlines blames flight disruptions on ‘deliberate effort’

  

  Bloomberg Southwest Airlines Co., battered by more than a week of flight delays and cancellations from a rash of aircraft maintenance issues, said its investigation has identified a small group of union mechanics that are orchestrating an effort to slow operations. The airline called on the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association to comply with its legal obligation and “take immediate action ...

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• 26 February

  Private equity firm KKR eyes bid for Asda

  

  Bloomberg It would take a brave private equity investor to pounce on a UK retailer like Walmart Inc.’s Asda only five weeks before Brexit. KKR & Co. has teamed up with former Asda Chief Executive Officer Tony De Nunzio for early-stage considerations of a bid for the UK supermarket chain, according to a person familiar with the matter. The buyout ...

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