May, 2018

• 20 May

  India must think twice before busting its ailing banks

  

  India seems intent on cleaning up a banking sector that’s plagued by bad loans and high-profile scams. The question is how damaging the cure will turn out to be. On May 13, federal investigators went after Usha Ananthasubramanian, currently the head of state-run Allahabad Bank, filing formal charges over her alleged involvement in a multi-billion dollar fraud involving celebrity jeweler ...

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• 20 May

  Mahathir must temper his contempt for markets

  

  Mahathir Mohamad blamed everyone except himself and his policies for his country’s entanglement in the 1997 Asian crisis. It appears two decades haven’t been enough to mellow the Malaysian leader. The 92-year-old prime minister has won an unexpected second shot at a job he retired from in 2003. But his contempt for markets is still intact. No, he hasn’t returned ...

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• 20 May

  Auditors shouldn’t have long-term relationships

  

  Following the financial meltdown of a key government contractor in the UK, Carillion Plc., legislators and professionals are discussing the breakup of the Big Four auditing firms. Such a drastic measure, however, would probably do less to increase the relevance of audits than a different change, also unpopular with auditors. Carillion’s demise caused the debate because, as the construction firm ...

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• 20 May

  Gold bulls push for exits on strong greenback, lack of fear

  

  Bloomberg The strong dollar is proving too much of a headwind for gold. Hedge funds and other large speculators pared bullish bets on bullion to the lowest in more than two years as the metal fell below $1,300 an ounce for the first time this year, spurring the biggest weekly price decline since December. Money managers headed for the exits ...

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• 20 May

  Singapore’s Apex exchange to start trading from May 25

  

  Bloomberg Chinese-backed Asia Pacific Exchange Pte (Apex) said it will start trading in Singapore from May 25, the latest foray into overseas trading venues by mainland investors. Apex will offer palm olein futures that will be dollar-denominated and physically delivered, it said in a statement. The bourse will be the third derivatives exchange in the city-state, joining venues owned by ...

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• 20 May

  Fed resists adding capital demand for biggest banks

  

  Bloomberg The Federal Reserve is facing calls within its ranks to consider activating an obscure capital buffer meant to bolster big banks against coming storms when economic conditions are sunny. But for now, those pushing to weigh the demand for billions of dollars in new capital haven’t persuaded the key agency staffers who are reviewing the decision, according to people ...

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• 20 May

  Robot Nora at Nordea wealth unit has big plans

  

  Bloomberg Clients looking for investment advice at the biggest Nordic bank have recently been introduced to a robot. Nora, the robo-adviser that Nordea Bank AB launched last month, has already been asked to start investment processes equivalent to 4 percent of the roughly 500,000 people who get savings advice from the bank each year. Nordea wants to use Nora to ...

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• 20 May

  Weidmann signals openness to succeeding Draghi

  

  Bloomberg Jens Weidmann signalled he’s open to succeeding Mario Draghi as president of the European Central Bank, the Bundesbank chief’s strongest hint so far that he wants the job. “I believe that every member of the Governing Council should have the willingness to contribute to monetary policy also in a different role,” the German told Funke Mediengruppe in an interview. ...

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• 20 May

  Goldman CEO Blankfein likely to step down in Dec

  

  Bloomberg Lloyd Blankfein will probably step down as Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s chief executive officer in December, the New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the firm’s plans. David M. Solomon, who was named president in March, will take the top spot, the newspaper said. While Blankfein is likely to depart around the time of the bank’s annual dinner ...

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• 20 May

  Investors’ unconditional love for emerging markets is fading

  

  Bloomberg Investors are punishing markets where policy makers haven’t done enough to stem deteriorating current-account balances, ballooning inflation and a run on their currencies. They became unforgiving as rising Treasury yields and a stronger dollar put the case for riskier investments in the balance. Money is no longer cheap or plentiful, and low-quality investments burdened by policy baggage are being ...

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