BOK joins jumbo hikers as inflation fight heats up

  Bloomberg The Bank of Korea (BOK) doubled the margin of its latest rate increase and promised more hikes to come, as it stepped up its battle against inflation now running at a 23-year high. The central bank joined a global wave of larger rate increases by pushing up its seven-day repurchase rate by a half-percentage point to 2.25% as ...

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Argentina may offer put option on local bonds to entice buyers

  Bloomberg Argentina’s central bank is in talks with private lenders about adding a put option to its local bonds that would compel the monetary authority to buy back the notes if prices fall too far. Technical staff from private banks met with the central bank’s general manager, Agustin Torcassi, to discuss the possibility, according to people with direct knowledge ...

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Bank fees ‘significantly eroding’ Russia ETF

  Bloomberg The money manager behind a Russia-focused ETF that collapsed after the country invaded Ukraine is warning that bank fees are “significantly eroding” what little of the fund’s value remains. VanEck said Citigroup Inc, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of New York Mellon are charging fees on Russian depository receipts that its Russia ETF (ticker RSX) primarily holds, ...

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JPMorgan’s credit costs reach $1.1bn

  Bloomberg JPMorgan Chase & Co reported credit costs of $1.1 billion, with Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon describing mounting economic uncertainty even as he emphasized the bank is prepared for “whatever happens.” The $1.1 billion in provisions for credit losses included a $428 million build in reserves for loans that go sour and $657 million in net charge-offs, the ...

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PBOC sees liquidity as ample in sign a rate cut is unlikely

  Bloomberg Liquidity in China’s interbank market is more than “reasonably ample,” a senior central bank official said, an indication that further interest rate cuts are unlikely. The 7-day reverse repurchase rate is around 1.6%, lower than the cost of short-term policy loans the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) provides via its daily open market operations, Zou Lan, the head ...

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US equity futures edge higher

Bloomberg US equity-index futures edged up and the dollar’s surge stalled at the end of a week in which markets have been whipsawed by shifting expectations for monetary tightening by the Federal Reserve and worries over global economic growth. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 contracts signalled a higher open for US stocks after Wall Street closed with a small drop ...

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Scrutiny of Alibaba sends China tech stocks into tailspin

Bloomberg Investors in China’s tech shares just got another reminder that regulatory scrutiny into the sector is unlikely to go away anytime soon despite a concerted effort by authorities to shore up a flagging economy. On Friday, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd’s stock tumbled 6% on a report that company executives had been questioned in relation to the country’s largest known ...

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Agthia to buy 60% stake in Egypt snacks firm Abu Auf

  Abu Dhabi / WAM Agthia group PJSC, one of the region’s leading food and beverage companies, on Thursday announced that its board of directors has approved a strategic acquisition of 60 percent of Auf group, a specialised healthy snacks and coffee manufacturer and retailer in Egypt. Established in 2010, Auf group processes, manufactures, retails and distributes a broad portfolio ...

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UAE President to begin state visit to France on Monday

  Abu Dhabi / WAM In his inaugural State visit as President of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is looking forward to meeting with the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris. His Highness will be received at the Elysée Palace on Monday, July 18. The visit is an opportunity to ...

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Global debt relief to unlock $400bn in climate finance

  Bloomberg Relieving poor countries of their debt burdens and creating innovative financial instruments could help free up more than $400 billion to help people suffering the most from warming temperatures, according to a new study. Immediate debt relief would unlock about $105 billion that could be directed toward mitigating climate change and preparing developing nations for its effects, the ...

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