Bloomberg The UK government is considering sending Challenger 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the discussions. If it goes ahead, the move would be the first time a Western country has provided Ukraine with modern battle tanks to fight Russian forces. No final decision has been taken, the people said on Monday. Neither wished ...
Read More »SNB’s $143 bilion record loss costs Swiss govt usual payout
Bloomberg Switzerland’s government will not receive a payout from the Swiss National Bank (SNB) for 2022, as the central bank projects the biggest loss in its 116-year history. The SNB expects an annual loss of about 132 billion francs ($143 billion), more than five times the previous record, it said on Monday in preliminary results. The largest part of ...
Read More »China Citic bank offers Covid shots in HK to woo mainland cash
Bloomberg A Hong Kong unit of state-backed China Citic Bank Corp. is offering free Covid-19 mRNA vaccinations to sign up wealthy new customers as the border between the financial hub and mainland China reopened after three years of travel and quarantine restrictions. For customers who put in at least HK$4 million ($512,300) and sign up for a dual currency credit ...
Read More »UBS sees wealth business boost as China reopens, looks to hire
Bloomberg UBS group predicts an increase in business for its bank’s key wealth division in Asia this year after a difficult period last year and is looking to add talent, its Asia Pacific president said. “I think our wealth management will power away this year, because of what’s happening in China, opening up and creating a more positive outlook ...
Read More »Sri Lanka’s banks should cancel debt: Academics
Bloomberg Sri Lanka’s bondholders aren’t living up to their obligations and should cancel debt to allow the country to get out of its economic crisis, a group of international academics said in a letter. Private creditors own almost 40% of the country’s external debt, mostly in the form of International Sovereign Bonds, but higher interest rates mean they receive ...
Read More »Credit Suisse loses two senior private bankers in Hong Kong
Bloomberg Credit Suisse Group AG has lost two more senior private bankers in Hong Kong as attrition woes continue at the Swiss bank, according to people familiar with the matter. Mandy Loo, a managing director for the China market, and Howard Wu, a team leader for Greater China investment consultants, have both left the bank, said the people, asking ...
Read More »ECB sees ‘very strong’ wage growth ahead in next few quarters
Bloomberg The European Central Bank (ECB) predicts wage growth — a key indicator of where inflation is headed — will be “very strong†in the coming quarters, strengthening the case for more interest-rate hikes. A study of salary developments since the start of the pandemic shows underlying pay growth has been “relatively moderate†and is currently close to its ...
Read More »Asia stocks on track to enter bull market as China rally extends
Bloomberg Asia’s benchmark stock index was on track to enter a bull market, as China’s reopening and a weakening dollar lure investors back to the region. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index climbed as much as 1.9% on Monday, taking its advance from an October 24 low to more than 20%. Gauges in Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea led ...
Read More »Crypto tops stocks, gold on best bitcoin streak in nearly a year
Bloomberg A cryptocurrency sector battered by turmoil last year is showing some signs of life early in 2023, posting bigger gains than other major asset classes including stocks, bonds and gold. The MVIS CryptoCompare Digital Assets 100 Index of top tokens is up some 6% so far this month, exceeding advances of about 2% in global stocks, 1% in ...
Read More »UAE a trading capital of the world, says Thani Al Zeyoudi
Abu Dhabi / WAM Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade said that the UAE continues to leverage its global presence by opening up to the world and expanding its network of trading partners through comprehensive economic partnership agreements with a carefully selected group of markets of strategic importance internationally and regionally. The minister made ...
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