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Bloomberg Vladimir Putin outlined a raft of proposed constitutional changes aimed at strengthening the powers of the parliament and other government bodies, fuelling speculation that he’s laying the groundwork for keeping power beyond the end of his current term in 2024. The plans, announced unexpectedly at the end of his annual state-of-the-nation speech on Wednesday, come as Putin is widely ...

Bloomberg China’s relationship with a country that was supposed to be a key proponent of its interests in Europe is growing increasingly caustic. The Czech Republic, an ex-communist member of the European Union, once hoped to become a gateway for investment to the continent. But spats over Chinese territorial claims, Huawei Technologies Co and espionage have strained ties to the ...

Bloomberg A tangle of cracks has opened up around an erupting volcano in the Philippines that’s triggered hundreds of earthquakes and urgent pleas for residents to evacuate areas at risk of dangerous fissures and ashfall. Police locked down three towns near Taal Volcano, 65 kilometres (40 miles) south of Manila, to prevent residents from returning home. More than 82,000 people ...

Bloomberg The path to a Bank of England (BOE) interest-rate cut as soon as this month became clearer on Wednesday after inflation unexpectedly slowed to a three-year low. The pound fell and traders increased bets that policy makers would reduce rates on January 30, as the shock reading reinforced speculation fuelled by dovish comments from BOE Governor Mark Carney and ...

Bloomberg The Federal Reserve Bank of New York announced plans to conduct repurchase agreement operations through until at least February13, although the size of term operations will be trimmed to $30 billion from the start of next month. The central bank did not elaborate on plans beyond that. The move extends a programme that has been in place since it ...

Bloomberg China added liquidity to the financial system on Wednesday, helping to offset a cash squeeze ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. It kept interest rates on the loans unchanged. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) added 300 billion yuan ($44 billion) through the medium-term lending facility at 3.25%, according to a statement from the central bank. It also ...

Bloomberg The euro-area economy is starting to regain its footing, two European Central Bank officials said, suggesting monetary policy will stay on hold for now. Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau told bankers in Paris that recessions in the US or Europe can practically be excluded this year. Speaking earlier in Frankfurt, Executive Board member Yves Mersch said ...

Bloomberg In the two years since the US-China trade war erupted, Australia’s dollar has weakened around 10%. It may drop even further when the dispute is resolved. The Aussie could slide more than 5% to 65 US cents this year, according to QIC Ltd and Capital Economics. If Beijing buys more American goods at the expense of Australian products as ...

Bloomberg Paras Shah, Citigroup Inc’s head of high-yield credit trading for Europe, the Middle East and Africa and one of its highest-profile traders, has left the bank, according to people familiar with the matter. The 31-year-old departed this month, according to some of the people who aren’t authorised to speak publicly and asked not to be named. Shah worked at ...

“It’s difficult to make predictions, especially about the future” —Statement often attributed to Yankees baseball star Yogi Berra We are at that time of year when economic columnists (and all manner of other commentators, too) are expected to make wise and insightful judgments about the next 12 months. You should be wary of these predictions, which are highly ritualistic and ...