June, 2016

• 18 June

  Brazil’s economy in doldrums as Games near

    With figures showing that Brazil’s economy stalled in 2014 and shrank 3.8% last year, the country heads towards its worst recession amid warnings such a development could cast a shadow on the Olympic Games in August, and deepen the political crisis. The scenario is deplorable indeed. The country’s primary fiscal deficit is forecast to be around $47 billion. And ...

  Read More »
• 18 June

  Negative German yields reflect ECB exhaustion

    Mark Gilbert Bloomberg View Germany this week joined the elite club of sovereign borrowers able to raise funds for a decade at an interest rate of less than zero. Other euro zone countries, including France, Spain and Italy, are also enjoying 10-year borrowing costs at or near record lows. Negative German yields are the strongest signal yet that the ...

  Read More »
• 18 June

  Singapore-Kunming Rail Link: A ‘Belt and Road’ case study

    Shang-su Wu SPECIAL TO EMIRATES BUSINESS Among the various projects proposed under China’s “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) strategy, the Singapore-Kunming Rail Link (SKRL) seems to be the most promising rail project. Since announced at the fifth summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1995, this project has evolved from a conventional railway to a ...

  Read More »
• 18 June

  Central bankers at sea amid global flux

  

    Bloomberg From the immediate possibility of Britain leaving the European Union to the longer-term consequences of aging populations, the world’s major central banks this week just aren’t sure what to do next. Officials from the US, Japan, the UK and Switzerland all opted to keep monetary policy unchanged this week as they await the June 23 Brexit vote and ...

  Read More »
• 18 June

  Spain to probe BNP over roles in tax case

  

    Bloomberg Spanish authorities are investigating some Banco Santander SA and BNP Paribas SA employees amid allegations they may have helped shield customers’ international transfers from tax authorities, according to a person familiar with the probe. Investigators are trying to work out who within the banks may have been responsible for the alleged transactions by analyzing evidence including papers they ...

  Read More »
• 18 June

  JPMorgan to lead Dutch bad bank bidding

  

    Bloomberg A venture between JPMorgan Chase & Co and private-equity firm Lone Star Funds is the leading bidder to buy Propertize BV, the Dutch bad bank that holds 5.5 billion euros (US$6.1 billion) of loans and real estate, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. Propertize may reach a deal to sell the firm in the next ...

  Read More »
• 18 June

  Russian cyber gang behind bank robberies

  

    Bloomberg Investigators have linked malware used by Russian and eastern European cyber-gangs to a string of bank heists that culminated in the record-breaking theft of US$81 million from Bangladesh’s central bank, according to people familiar with the probe. The tools used in some of the attacks on as many as 12 banks, mostly in Southeast Asia, match those deployed ...

  Read More »
• 18 June

  BOC experimenting with blockchain-type technology

  

    Bloomberg The Bank of Canada is running experiments on interbank payment systems using blockchain-type technology to better understand how it works. The central bank has no plans to issue any digital currency for public use, Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn Wilkins said in an e-mailed statement. Blockchain refers to the technology that underpins distributed ledgers, which are used for verifying ...

  Read More »
• 18 June

  Innovating technology that amazes

  

    Our Correspondent/ Emirates Business In the Middle East, the HP brand is synonymous with quality and reliability, but that has not come overnight. Recognised as one of the original founders of Silicon Valley, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard founded the company in 1939 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto. In a country where more than a third of ...

  Read More »
• 18 June

  Combining precision, quality, reliability and nobility

  

    Our Correspondent EMIRATES BUSINESS Swiss watchmaker Raymond Weil belongs to the lizmited circle of independent family companies creating elegant and refined watches for men and women. Founded in 1976 and now under the leadership of the founder’s grandson, Elie Bernheim, the Geneva-based company continues to develop and consolidate its status among the leading names of the Swiss watch industry. ...

  Read More »