Bloomberg Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) AB said sales growth accelerated as the Swedish retailer reduced the level of markdowns on its garments. Revenue rose 23% excluding currency shifts in the three months through February. Sales amounted to 49.2 billion kronor ($5.1 billion). Analysts expected 49.1 billion. Like other retailers, H&M decided to temporarily pause sales in Russia, its sixth-biggest …
Read More »BofA doubles green bond goals, adds people to build ESG in Asia
Bloomberg Bank of America Corp (BofA) aims to double its underwriting of green bond deals in China over the next two to three years, beefing up its business to capture the fast-growing market, the firm’s China head said in an interview. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank plans to underwrite $50 billion of green and sustainability-linked bonds, equities and loans for …
Read More »Citigroup to expand Russia retreat beyond consumer-banking exit
Bloomberg Citigroup Inc., the US bank with the largest presence in Russia, will broaden its withdrawal beyond previously announced plans to dispose of consumer operations there. “We have now decided to expand the scope of that exit process to include other lines of business and continue to reduce our remaining operations and exposure,†Edward Skyler, executive vice president of …
Read More »Nigeria banks ration dollars as regulator signals stopping sales
Bloomberg Nigerian lenders cut the dollar spending limits on local currency cards to free more resources to fund imports after the central bank signalled it will stop foreign-exchange sales to banks. United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) stopped the use of naira card to withdraw dollars from automated teller machines outside the country or make international payments at point …
Read More »Riksbank governor sees rate hike sooner than ’24
Bloomberg The Swedish central bank will probably have to raise interest rates earlier than its previous timeline of 2024, Riksbank Governor Stefan Ingves said, signalling a shift on removing stimulus after lagging behind most of its developed peers. “Right now inflation is far too high,†Ingves said in an interview with Swedish Radio, adding the central bank has to …
Read More »Japan’s banks to pull staff out of Russia
Bloomberg Japan’s top lenders, including the banking unit of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., are pulling their Japanese staff out of Russia due to safety concerns following its invasion of Ukraine. The banking units of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. and Mizuho Financial Group Inc. are also moving Japanese staff out of the country, according to representatives for the …
Read More »RBA says Ukraine war fuels uncertainty on inflation outlook
Bloomberg Australia’s central bank said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has the potential to prolong a period of elevated consumer-price growth and is clouding the economic outlook, minutes of its March 1 policy meeting showed. “The war in Ukraine and the associated increase in energy prices had created additional uncertainty,†the Reserve Bank said in the release on Tuesday. A key …
Read More »Chinese stocks in the US surge after promise of state support
Bloomberg Chinese stocks listed on US exchanges soared, rebounding from a steep selloff, after China vowed to keep its stock market stable and support overseas share listings. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Baidu Inc. both soared at least 20% in US premarket trading, while Didi Global Inc. jumped more than 40%. The American depository receipts (ADRs) are tracking a rally …
Read More »Goldman to JPMorgan slash European stock targets as risks mount
Bloomberg Strategists are cutting their targets for European equity markets this year, with the region’s benchmark now seen ending 2022 flat as risks from the war in Ukraine, soaring commodity prices and central bank tightening pile up. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index will be little changed for the year by the end of December, at 488 index points, according …
Read More »European banks take steps to insulate IT systems in Russia
Bloomberg European banks operating in Russia are preparing to separate those business from their main computer systems to reduce their vulnerability to cyber-attacks following the invasion of Ukraine. Commerzbank AG is preparing to cut off its Russian unit from its system as one potential scenario and already has the ability to rapidly sever the connection through what’s internally known …
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