Bloomberg HSBC Holdings Plc has hired Michael Willoughby, a top mining banker at Standard Chartered Plc, to help build its global resources team, people with knowledge of the matter said. Willoughby, a Singapore-based managing director and co-head of metals and mining for Asia Pacific at Standard Chartered, will join HSBC in August as global head of metals, mining and …
Read More »China’s mega banks see profit growth topping 5% on lending
Bloomberg China’s largest state-owned banks reported profit growth of at least 5% in the first quarter, fuelled by increased lending and improved asset quality before a Covid-19 outbreak triggered broad lockdowns and pummeled the economy. Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC) said net income rose 5.7% to 90.63 billion yuan ($13.8 billion) in three months ended March …
Read More »BofA fined $10 million by CFPB for freezing accounts
Bloomberg The US consumer watchdog is ordering Bank of America Corp (BofA) to pay a $10 million penalty and repay fees that the lender charged customers when garnishing wages. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFB) said that the Charlotte, North Carolina-based lender incorrectly froze accounts and garnished customer funds based on out-of-state court orders. The lender should have ensured …
Read More »Brazil’s central bank leaves end of rate hikes up in air
Bloomberg Brazil’s central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by a full percentage point and opened the door to a longer monetary tightening campaign, with another likely increase of smaller size in June to battle rampant inflation. Policy makers lifted the Selic to 12.75%, extending total hikes to borrowing costs since last year to a whopping 10.75 percentage points. …
Read More »NAB’s H1 profit tops estimates
Bloomberg National Australia Bank Ltd’s (NAB) first-half profit beat analyst estimates as Australia’s largest business lender saw the fastest growth in loans to companies since 2008. Cash earnings rose to A$3.48 billion ($2.5 billion) in the six months ended March 31, topping the A$3.41 billion estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. National Australia will pay an interim dividend …
Read More »Riksbank hikes rate in U-turn to join global central banks
Bloomberg Sweden’s central bank raised its interest rate and signalled more increases to come, completing a U-turn in monetary policy to join global peers in the fight against inflation. The krona jumped as the Riksbank raised its policy rate to 0.25% from zero, and said it will enact another two or three hikes in 2022. Officials also pledged to …
Read More »Exxon Mobil triples its share buyback programme to $30b
Bloomberg Exxon Mobil Corp tripled its share-buyback programme to as much as $30 billion after profits surged amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a rally in worldwide energy prices. The repurchases will be made through the end of next year, Exxon said in a statement. The oil giant more than doubled first-quarter adjusted net income to $8.8 billion, or …
Read More »Shell agrees to buy India’s Sprng Energy for $1.55b
Bloomberg Shell Plc agreed to buy Indian renewable power supplier Sprng Energy Pvt for $1.55 billion, accelerating the oil giant’s transition to low-carbon energy. The deal will triple Shell’s operational renewables capacity and help it achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the company said in a statement. The transaction was first reported by Bloomberg. “This deal positions Shell as …
Read More »China slashes coal import tariffs to zero
Bloomberg China will cut import tariffs for coal to zero from May to the end of March to help guarantee energy supplies, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement. Current tariffs range from 3% to 6% depending on the type of coal, the ministry said in a statement and posted to its website. China’s coal imports are down …
Read More »Chevron reaps biggest profit in almost 10 years
Bloomberg Chevron Corp posted the highest quarterly earnings in almost a decade as soaring energy demand and Russia’s war on Ukraine strained global supplies, ratcheting up prices for everything from natural gas to diesel. Net income adjusted for one-time items was $6.5 billion, the highest since the second quarter of 2012, while free cash flow touched a level not …
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