May, 2018

• 27 May

  Political risks grip European markets

  

  Bloomberg Traders could be forgiven if flashbacks of the euro zone crisis come back to haunt them as the euro slid to a six-month low and risk premiums on Spanish and Italian bonds soared amid rising political risks. European risk assets took a massive pounding ahead of a long weekend in London as investors fled from riskier bonds, stocks and ...

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• 27 May

  Swiss private banks may finally merge

  

  Bloomberg For years, Swiss private banks largely resisted the temptation to merge with rivals. Often run by proud families, few wanted to let go of their independence or dilute their legacies. While local giants UBS Group AG and Credit Suisse Group AG went through painful reorganisations, smaller banks had time to continue with business as usual, even winning over disaffected ...

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• 27 May

  Wells Fargo dismisses bankers in struggling municipal-bond unit

  

  Bloomberg Wells Fargo & Co.’s new public finance chief Stratford Shields is shaking up the department by dismissing senior bankers in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles and bringing in colleagues from his former employer, Morgan Stanley. Fifteen employees from its public finance department were removed, retired or quit as the bank shifted its strategy, according to a person familiar ...

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• 27 May

  BoK stands pat in face of rising uncertainties

  

  Bloomberg The Bank of Korea (BoK) stayed the course amid rising uncertainty, leaving its benchmark interest rate unchanged in a unanim-ous decision. The central bank is balancing concerns including record household debt and recent weak domestic economic data with external risks such as rising US interest rates and global emerging-market instability. Governor Lee Ju-yeol described uncertainties as high, and as ...

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• 27 May

  Kenya retains rate caps in new draft law

  Bloomberg Kenya plans to overhaul legislation governing its financial sector by creating new agencies that regulate the cost of credit and protect consumers, according to a draft law on the Treasury’s website. The Financial Markets Conduct Bill seeks to “promote a fair, non-discriminatory marketplace for access to credit, to provide for the establishment of uniform practices and standards in relation ...

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• 27 May

  Easing inflation proves Nigeria monetary policy stance right

  

  Bloomberg Nigerian central bank Governor Godwin Emefiele’s tight monetary-policy stance and system of multiple exchange rates may have paid off through slowing inflation and a stable naira, and he’s not about to change that soon. The MPC has kept its benchmark interest rate at a record 14 percent since July 2016 despite calls to lower rates to support economic growth. ...

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• 27 May

  Best Buy’s heavy spending to fight Amazon comes at a cost to profit

  

  Bloomberg Best Buy Co.’s turnaround journey only gets harder from here. The retailer, which is rolling out new offerings to grab more of its customers’ spending, faces a suite of challenges: tougher year-ago comparisons, the continued encroachment of Amazon.com Inc. and the cost of launching a new tech-support program. The consumer spending boost fuelled by the recent tax cuts in ...

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• 27 May

  United Airlines taps former FAA chief as chairman

  

  Bloomberg United Continental Holdings Inc.’s board named former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) boss Jane Garvey to be chairman, as the carrier works to improve operations and close a profit gap with rivals. Garvey succeeds Robert Milton, a former Air Canada chief executive officer who led United’s board for two years and announced plans last month to step down. Garvey, who ...

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• 27 May

  Lowe’s up most in a year on sales optimism as raw spring thaws

  

  Bloomberg Lowe’s Cos.’ incoming chief executive officer has some repair work ahead of him. Fortunately, the improving US weather makes for perfect conditions. The home-improvement chain, which named J.C. Penney Co.’s Marvin Ellison as CEO, posted profit and comparable sales that missed estimates in its first fiscal quarter as chilly weather in the US weighed on results. But activity began ...

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• 27 May

  M&S chairman calls the shots as Amazon looms

  

  Bloomberg Marks & Spencer Group Plc Chairman Archie Norman broke with convention when he arrived at the UK retailer’s London headquarters last year, turning down a private office and positioning his desk prominently out in the open. From his perch in the engine room of a once-proud British institution that’s fallen on hard times, Norman quickly started asking questions about ...

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