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Bloomberg Indian stocks advanced in a volatile session after the nation’s benchmark capped its steepest two-day slide in more than 11 years. Investors weighing an oil slump against economic risks fuelled by the coronavirus outbreak sent the S&P BSE Sensex Index up 0.2% to 35,697.4 at the close in Mumbai, reversing an earlier loss of as much as 1.1%. The ...

Bloomberg It doesn’t seem to matter anymore whether global stocks are rising or falling — investors just keep snapping up more gold. Holdings in gold-backed exchange-traded funds surged by 55 tons in the previous three days, accounting for almost a third of year-to-date inflows, according to a preliminary tally by Bloomberg. As a haven asset, demand for gold tends to ...

Bloomberg The Bank of Russia said it would begin selling foreign currency ahead of schedule after the rout in oil prices made the ruble the worst-performing currency in the world. The move is aimed at “increasing the predictability of the actions of the monetary authorities and reducing volatility on financial markets amid significant changes in the world oil market,” according ...

Bloomberg Taiwan’s central bank disclosed its outstanding position in foreign-exchange swap trading, a rare move aimed at answering calls for improved transparency. The bank’s outstanding position in foreign-exchange swap trading was $99.1 billion at the end of February, the central bank’s Governor Yang Chin-long wrote in a report prepared for legislators. The central bank purchased a net $5.5 billion in ...

Bloomberg The Italian government is negotiating with banks to provide breaks from debt payments including mortgages, as individuals and businesses are hit by a nationwide lockdown to contain the coronavirus. The country is also studying relief for temporary layoffs and additional fiscal measures to support the economy, Deputy Finance Minister Laura Castelli said in a radio interview. A new decree ...

Bloomberg Kazakhstan, the biggest oil producer in central Asia, raised its benchmark interest rate by 2.75 percentage points to 12% at an emergency meeting and started selling foreign currency to help support the tenge. The National Bank of Kazakhstan raised the base rate from 9.25% to protect the tenge from increased external risks, support price stability and hold down the ...

Bloomberg Iceland’s central bank cut its benchmark interest rate to its lowest level ever at an emergency meeting called to counter the impact of the coronavirus. The 7-day term deposit rate was cut by 0.5 percentage points to 2.25%, Sedlabanki said in a statement. “Furthermore, the Committee has decided to lower deposit institutions’ average reserve requirement from 1% to 0%. ...

Bloomberg Europe moved to provide relief for its ailing banks as efforts to combat the coronavirus threaten to push more borrowers into default and disrupt lending. The Bank of England on Wednesday announced a package of emergency measures, including a 50 basis point rate cut and a lower capital buffer to free up cash for lending. Germany’s banking watchdogs earlier ...

Bloomberg Delta Air Lines Inc and American Airlines Group Inc walked away from their 2020 forecasts and said they will slash operations because of the coronavirus outbreak, joining carriers across the globe grappling with one of the worst crises in modern air travel. Delta plans to cut domestic capacity as much as 15% and international flights by 25%, the Atlanta-based ...

Bloomberg Salvatore Ferragamo SpA is delaying or cancelling capital investments not considered “fundamental” as the coronavirus outbreak hammers demand, though the company sees green shoots of recovery in China, the biggest market for luxury goods. “Visibility on the impact of Covid-19 is still very low for both turnover and earnings,” Chief Executive Officer Micaela Le Divelec Lemmi said on a ...