January, 2018

• 20 January

  Weaker dollar won’t derail global growth

  The depreciation of the dollar was one of the market surprises of 2017, defying the predictions of many analysts and economists at the start of that year. Continued weakness in 2018 has led some, including European officials, to warn about possible detrimental effects on growth. They are highlighting what may be thought of as the foreign exchange markets’ “hot potato” ...

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• 20 January

  Dear Bitcoin fans, digital currency is still a dream

  

  Bitcoin breaks my heart. Not because I missed the great run-up (though I did) and not because I fear that the bitcoin bubble will end badly (it will, but that’s not my problem). Rather, it is because I have been waiting for decades for someone to invent a purely digital currency, a currency for online purchases that wasn’t linked to ...

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• 20 January

  Japan, Europe start the central bank reset

  

  This is going to be an exciting year for monetary policy. In fact, it already is, thanks to Europe and Japan. Investors were taken aback last week when the Bank of Japan bought fewer bonds and the European Central Bank revealed — shock, horror — its language would have to evolve with the euro region’s economy. Both developments, and the ...

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• 20 January

  Apple needs to admit it still has a labour problem

  

  For all the talk of cleaning up its supply chain, too many stories keep popping up about poor working conditions and excessive overtime. Every year at around this time, Apple makes a song and dance about how much it cares for workers and the environment. Fans point out that Cupertino is doing far more than most others in the industry, ...

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• 20 January

  ECB seen closer to signalling QE end as hawks gain sway

  

  Bloomberg Economists brought forward their estimate of when the European Central Bank will set an end-date for its bond-buying program, amid signs that more optimistic views on inflation might be gaining sway among policy makers. While no action is expected at the Governing Council meeting on January 25, almost half of respondents in a Bloomberg survey predicted the ECB will ...

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• 20 January

  Indian bank shares surge on FDI plans

  Bloomberg Indian bank shares surged the most since November on a report the government is considering allowing foreign investors to own larger stakes in the country’s lenders. The Bankex Index, a gauge for 10 lenders, rose 2 percent to a new record high as of 9:30 a.m. in Mumbai. Gains were led by privately owned Yes Bank Ltd., which is ...

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• 20 January

  Bank of Canada raises rates but cautions stimulus still needed

  

  Bloomberg The Bank of Canada indicated it’s in no rush to pursue aggressive interest rate hikes, citing “important unknowns” such as the future of Nafta as it raised borrowing costs for the third time since July. At a rate decision, central bank officials led by Governor Stephen Poloz sought to quell expectations Canada’s economic boom could prompt them to move ...

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• 20 January

  Barclays cuts 100 senior staff in investment bank overhaul

  

  Bloomberg Barclays Plc is eliminating as many as 100 senior staff at its investment bank as the unit’s chief, Tim Throsby, overhauls the underperforming division, according to people familiar with the decision. The cutbacks will fall mainly at the managing director and director levels and are evenly split between Europe and the US, said the people, who asked not to ...

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• 20 January

  Standard Chartered expects Argentine peso to end 2018 stronger

  Bloomberg The Argentine peso has a split personality, with analysts forecasting both big losses in the spot market and the highest total return for emerging-market investors. The reason for the divergence comes down to inflation and interest rates. Consumer-price increases of more than 20 percent will wreak havoc on the peso’s value, but any weakness will be more than offset ...

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• 20 January

  BofA has more to trim to reach its $53 billion cost target

  

  Bloomberg Bank of America Corp. once excited investors by pledging steep cost cuts by the end of this year. It still has a ways to go. The lender showed promise on revenue growth, as net interest income jumped to the highest in more than five years and revenue from trading and investment banking both topped estimates. Now, analysts question whether ...

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