BLOOMBERG China reappointed several top economic officials in a leadership reshuffle Sunday, giving investors greater continuity as Beijing overhauls financial regulation and grapples with escalating tensions with the US. People’s Bank of China (PBOC) Governor Yi Gang, 65, will remain in his post, as will the finance and commerce ministers. He Lifeng, a close ally of President Xi Jinping, was ...
Read More »Canada banks erase $14b in value on SVB contagion
BLOOMBERG The fallout from Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse has led to a continent-wide selloff in financial stocks erasing C$19.7 billion ($14.2 billion) in value from Canada’s top banks in the last four days. Some of the nation’s biggest lenders, including Bank of Nova Scotia, Bank of Montreal and Toronto-Dominion Bank fell more than 2%. With banking equities far and away ...
Read More »Biden World Bank pick urges private lenders to step up
BLOOMBERG President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the World Bank called on private-sector lenders to increase efforts to fight poverty across world, citing the need for trillions of dollars in lending that public institutions alone can’t meet. The World Bank needs to leverage its current balance sheet and maximize existing resources, but the total resources of development banks are in ...
Read More »UK plans £11 billion 3-year business tax break in budget     Â
BLOOMBERG Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt will hand business a three-year tax break worth about £11 billion by replacing the UK’s most generous ever investment allowance with a temporary measure in next week’s budget, according a government official with knowledge of the matter. Corporation tax rises from 19% to 25% in April, when the so-called super-deduction also expires, a ...
Read More »The 4% yield on UK bonds lures investors who never buy gilts
BLOOMBERG Before this year, Dan Boardman-Weston hadn’t bought UK government bonds in more than a decade. Now yields close to 4% are putting short-dated gilts on his radar. New investors like Boardman-Weston, who runs BRI Wealth Management, are a boon for Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. He’s expected to focus the UK government’s bond sales on closer maturities when he unveils the ...
Read More »Finance-savvy Rome mayor has $13.8b to revamp Eternal City
BLOOMBERG Rome’s mayor is betting an unprecedented investment surge will help the Eternal City present a more modern face to the world. Roberto Gualtieri, a former finance minister, has secured €13 billion ($13.8 billion) in national and European funding over four years to spruce up the Italian capital, after it lost ground to Milan and other European centers in terms ...
Read More »Germany becoming a roadblock for more EU business
BLOOMBERG The unpredictable behavior of Germany’s ruling coalition is becoming a disruptive influence in Europe and raising hackles across the continent. A last-ditch move this month to block a European Union push to phase out combustion-engine vehicles was only the latest example. On issues ranging from financial aid for Ukraine to reform of state-aid and budget rules, Germany’s EU partners ...
Read More »German airports face severe disruption
BLOOMBERG German airline passengers are facing severe disruption on Monday, with commercial departures canceled at Berlin’s biggest airport as ground staff plan to strike amid a protracted pay dispute. Hanover and Bremen will also be affected by walkouts and flight cancellations are likely, the Verdi labour said in a statement. Hamburg has joined the capital’s BER airport in calling of ...
Read More »Japan Air ends $48 promo fares after demand crashes website
BLOOMBERG Japan Airlines Co. ended a campaign to sell steeply discounted tickets for domestic flights after demand overwhelmed the carrier’s website. “In light of the fact that there is no prospect of restoration at this time†and the impact on other customers, Japan Airlines said it would cancel the promotional sale of flights and April and May, as well as ...
Read More »UK to spend $24 billion on carbon capture projects
BLOOMBERG Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt will announce $24 billion for domestic carbon capture projects over the next 20 years in his budget next week, as the UK seeks to hit its net zero targets and spur green jobs. “It’s time for a clean energy reset,†Hunt said in an e-mailed statement, which also trailed plans to boost Britain’s ...
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