Bloomberg Boris Johnson said it would be “perfectly legitimate†for the UK to suspend part of the Brexit deal with the European Union (EU), though his government still wants to negotiate a solution to their escalating trade spat. The UK is demanding a major overhaul of the divorce agreement it signed with the bloc, arguing that its implementation is causing ...
Read More »Hong Kong banks need to fix $205 billion in Libor contracts
Bloomberg Hong Kong banks have to renegotiate HK$1.6 trillion ($205 billion) in contracts linked to the London interbank offered rate (Libor) before the benchmark ceases as corporate customers have been slow in transitioning to alternatives, the city’s de-facto central bank said. At the end of September, Hong Kong lenders had HK$4.3 trillion of assets, HK$1.2 trillion of liabilities and HK$34.9 ...
Read More »Bank of England boss says he’s ‘very uneasy’ about surging inflation
Bloomberg Bank of England (BOE) Governor Andrew Bailey told UK lawmakers he is “very uneasy about the inflation situation†amid mounting evidence that a shortage of workers will drive up wages. Bailey told the House of Commons Treasury Committee that the labour market is looking “tight†but that he wanted to see what happened after the furlough program ended before voting ...
Read More »RBA’s Lowe softens rate outlook, acknowledges faster inflation
Bloomberg Australia’s central bank chief Philip Lowe opened the door to an interest-rate increase before 2024 as policy makers acknowledged quicker consumer-price gains last quarter had altered the inflation picture. Lowe said in a speech Tuesday that a rate hike in 2024 was “still plausible,†while adding that a quicker return to the bank’s inflation target could make the case ...
Read More »BOE’s Haskel signals caution in debate on raising UK rates
Bloomberg Bank of England (BOE) policy maker Jonathan Haskel injected a note of caution into the debate about whether to raise interest rates in the UK. Speaking at a Resolution Foundation event, Haskel said the economy was “firing on two cylinders†and that it’s “too early to declare success†in getting those on furlough back into work. While Haskel said he ...
Read More »Afghanistan to sell $10mn as currency falls
Bloomberg Da Afghanistan Bank, the country’s central bank, is selling $10 million dollars to support the currency which has been tumbling to record lows, the first such auction under the new Taliban regime. The central bank, in a statement, said qualified banks and currency exchangers can participate in the bidding, without providing any details on when the results of the ...
Read More »Ex-US Bancorp employee alleges racist lending practices
Bloomberg A Black loan underwriter who said he was fired due to racism alleges that US Bancorp engaged in redlining — discriminating against people of colour when lending. John Span also claims in a lawsuit that he endured a “toxic and racially hostile work environment†during his time in the firm’s indirect auto-lending group. In the complaint, filed in Illinois ...
Read More »Asian stocks steady; yuan gains on Biden-Xi meeting
Bloomberg Asian stocks were steady Tuesday and the yuan climbed as traders weighed the outcome of the first face-to-face virtual summit between US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Treasury yields dipped. MSCI Inc’s Asia-Pacific share gauge posted a modest advance, while US and European equity futures fluctuated after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 ended flat. Hong ...
Read More »Temasek sells off Chinese tech stocks
Bloomberg Singapore’s state-owned investor Temasek Holdings Pte sold shares of US-listed Chinese technology companies from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Didi Global Inc to online education providers amid regulatory crackdowns. Temasek cut 16% of its stake in e-commerce giant Alibaba and 11% of its shares in ride-hailing service Didi, according to a 13F filing for the three months ended September ...
Read More »UAE to host ‘Global Prosperity Conference’ on November 24
DUBAI / WAM The Mohammed Bin Rashid Initiative for Global Prosperity Monday announced that it will host the Global Prosperity Conference to explore the role of start-ups, disruptive business models, and digital innovations to support the advancement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and drive global good. Reinforcing the importance of technology as a key tool for positive ...
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