August, 2018

• 15 August

  Indonesia rate hike aims at curbing ‘current-account’ gap

  

  Bloomberg Indonesia’s central bank raised its benchmark interest rate a fourth time since May in a surprise move aimed at underpinning the currency as volatility sweeps across emerging markets. The seven-day reverse repurchase rate was increased to 5.5 percent from 5.25 percent on Wednesday, as forecast by just seven of 28 economists in a Bloomberg survey, with the rest predicting ...

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• 15 August

  Canada lenders strong enough for adverse shock, says Moody’s

  

  Bloomberg Canada’s largest lenders have boosted their capital enough in the past two years to withstand a 35 percent decline in housing prices in Ontario and British Columbia and 25 percent in the rest of the country, according to Moody’s Investors Service. Canada’s six biggest banks and Quebec’s Desjardins Group “incrementally improved” their capital buffers to absorb $10.9 billion in ...

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• 15 August

  Berkshire adds to bets on Goldman, others

  

  Bloomberg Berkshire Hathaway Inc. added to its stakes in two of Warren Buffett’s most favoured industries as the billionaire investor widened bets in banking and the airline industry. Berkshire boosted investments in Goldman Sachs Group Inc., US Bancorp, Delta Air Lines Inc. and Southwest Airlines Co. in the second quarter, the Omaha, Nebraska-based company said in a filing. Buffett’s company ...

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• 15 August

  Citi touts Europe banks in ‘world’s contrarian trade’

  

  Bloomberg European banking stocks have been punished like no other sector in the region this year. Unless you’re expecting a financial crisis, now may be the time to take advantage of valuations near a two-year low, according to strategists at Citigroup Inc. Fearful of potential contagion from Turkey, investors accelerated their flight from the Stoxx 600 Banks Index in the ...

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• 15 August

  Top Swiss bank settles a decade after secrecy began to crumble

  

  Bloomberg About a decade after Swiss bank secrecy laws started to crumble under the impact of a US investigation, one of the last large lenders still entangled in the matter agreed to settle the dispute. Zuercher Kantonalbank, Switzerland’s largest publicly-owned regional bank, will pay $98.5 million as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice to end ...

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• 15 August

  Air France-KLM close to name new chief after its long search

  

  Bloomberg Air France-KLM Group is close to naming a CEO after a three-month search, with Ben Smith from Air Canada emerging as a leading candidate, according to a person familiar with the matter. The board will meet later this week and could finalise a decision then, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing a non-public matter. Smith, ...

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• 15 August

  TSA to review security flaws, emerging from the Seattle flight crash

  

  Bloomberg The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will address any vulnerabilities that are exposed by the theft and fatal crash of a small airliner near Seattle on Friday, the agency’s top official said. Speaking at a business travel conference in San Diego, TSA Administrator David Pekoske said the agency is supporting a probe of the incident, which is being led ...

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• 15 August

  Tapestry sees China as key market for bags

  Bloomberg Tapestry Inc. wants its handbags and boots to conquer Asia. The house of fashion brands, which owns Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman, has taken measures to gain more control over its business in the booming region, where in some cases it didn’t own the local operations that distribute and sell the products. Tapestry has signed purchase agreements to ...

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• 15 August

  Blackstone in talks for stake in India’s Jet Air loyalty arm

  

  Bloomberg Blackstone Group LP is in talks to buy a stake in the loyalty programme of Jet Airways India Ltd., the troubled Indian carrier that’s exploring options to raise cash, people with knowledge of the matter said. The private equity firm has expressed interest in a deal that could value Jet Privilege Pvt at about 30 billion rupees ($429 million) ...

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• 15 August

  Cerberus to pursue HNA’s $3bn Swissport unit

  Bloomberg Cerberus Capital Management is among parties holding talks to acquire a stake in Swissport Group as embattled Chinese conglomerate HNA Group Co. weighs options for the airport luggage handler, people with knowledge of the matter said. HNA is working with advisers to explore possibilities for Swissport including the sale of a majority stake in the business, according to the ...

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