Bloomberg At least 20 Sudanese soldiers were killed in clashes with Ethiopian militias near a disputed border, a local official said, deepening a feud that risks turning into all-out conflict between the Horn of Africa’s most populous nations. Sudanese forces crossed the Atbara river in the al-Fashqa area in response to shelling and fell into an ambush, according to Alrasheed ...
Read More »Taiwan sees biggest flyby of Chinese warplanes since Oct
Bloomberg China sent the biggest number of warplanes close to Taiwan since October on Sunday after a US lawmaker defied a Chinese demand that she abandon a trip to the island. Twenty-seven Chinese aircraft, including 8 J-16 fighter jets, entered Taiwan’s southwest Air Defense Identification Zone, according to a statement from the Ministry of National Defense. The air force issued ...
Read More »S’pore’s Lee: Party needs time to pick next PM
Bloomberg Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong said the team in the ruling party that will choose the country’s next premier is expected to take a “little longer†to make a decision due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The choice is expected “well before†the next general election, Lee said during a speech at a convention for his People’s Action Party (PAP). ...
Read More »Morgan Stanley to repay Hong Kong staff up to $5,100 for quarantine
Bloomberg Morgan Stanley is offering to reimburse its Hong Kong employees as much as HK$40,000 ($5,100) to compensate for quarantine costs brought on by the financial hub’s zero-Covid strategy. The one-time reimbursement will be available to all Hong Kong permanent employees when they return from a personal trip to visit immediate family members, including spouses, domestic partners, children, parents and ...
Read More »Bank M&A in US set to slow from fastest pace since 2007
Bloomberg US banks, which have been combining at levels not seen since before the global financial crisis, are now facing the near-term hurdles of stalled approvals and the mounting opposition from Democrats in Washington. All of that is unlikely to keep the string of deals from ultimately continuing, according to analysts. Regional lenders “may tap the brakes†in their merger-and-acquisition ...
Read More »Czechs are ready to keep raising rates despite virus
Bloomberg The Czech central bank expects only a limited economic fallout from the worsening pandemic and remains prepared for more interest-rate increases to curb surging inflation, according to one of its vice governors. The country “has learned to live with Covid†and potential lockdown measures are unlikely to significantly hurt consumption and investments, Marek Mora said in a video posted ...
Read More »Singapore central bank weighs action over DBS service glitch
Bloomberg Singapore’s central bank said it will consider supervisory actions after DBS Group Holdings Ltd. suffered one of the worst digital disruptions for Southeast Asia’s biggest lender in the past decade. “This is a serious disruption and MAS expects DBS to conduct a thorough investigation to identify the root causes and implement the necessary remedial measures,†Marcus Lim, assistant managing ...
Read More »Sweden’s Riksbank to start hiking interest rates in 2024
Bloomberg The Riksbank expects to start hiking interest rates in 2024, the first sign from the Swedish central bank that it sees an end in sight to its ultra-loose monetary policy. While policy makers kept their benchmark unchanged, they also signalled for the first time that they see a case to move higher within three years. Previously they said the ...
Read More »Zambia surprises with second rate hike this year
Bloomberg Zambia’s central bank in a surprise move raised its benchmark interest rate for the second time this year to try contain inflation that’s still nearly triple the targeted rate. The monetary policy committee lifted the gauge to 9% from 8.5%, Governor Denny Kalyalya told reporters. It was Kalyalya’s first rate decision since being reappointed to the post in September. ...
Read More »BofA bearish on markets, sees ‘rates shock’ coming in 2022
Bloomberg Bank of America Corp (BofA) strategists are bearish on markets next year and urged investors to focus on preserving cash as faster inflation and higher interest rates upend the trajectory of global asset prices. In a note to clients, strategists led by Michael Hartnett listed macro trade recommendations, including long positions on volatility gauges, oil, energy, the US dollar, ...
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