Is the ECB poised to fire up the whirlybird?

Negative mortgage rates in Denmark; sub-zero yields on 10-year corporate bonds from Nestle SA; A 100-year Austria bond trading at more than twice its face value; Record low yields on 30-year Treasuries — For fund managers trying to navigate the fixed-income universe, the bond market’s reaction to the prospect of a recession makes life more treacherous every day. Investors see ...

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BHP should stand pat on copper mining

All major miners agree that copper has a bright future. The trouble is how to get at it. Take BHP Group, set to be the world’s biggest producer this year after Freeport-McMoRan Inc. sold down its stake in Indonesia’s Grasberg mine. Costs at BHP’s massive Escondida pit in Chile, which accounts for about one in 20 tons of copper mined ...

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The last thing banks need is even lower rates

It’s generally accepted that one of the keys to a healthy economy is a robust banking system. For some reason, though, central banks seem intent on doing everything in their power to make it as hard as possible for banks around the world to thrive. And so now, as they embark on a fresh round of monetary policy easing to ...

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US futures, Europe stocks climb; Treasuries decline

Bloomberg US equity futures climbed with European stocks after a mixed session in Asia as investors assessed the latest news on trade and awaited more clues on monetary policy. Treasury yields ticked higher after retreating earlier. Contracts on the three main US equity gauges advanced a day after the S&P 500 Index closed lower as US President Donald Trump showed ...

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Negative-yield debt in Japan not looked this good since 2008

Bloomberg Japan’s negative-yielding bonds were a surprise beneficiary of the collapse in global rates in July. Foreign investors more than doubled purchases of the nation’s debt last month to 2.88 trillion yen ($27 billion) from 1.28 trillion yen in June, according to data from Japan Securities Dealers Association. The bulk of purchases were in the two-to-five-year bracket, where the extra ...

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As Wells Fargo seeks new CEO, toll on stock hits $24b

Bloomberg At Wells Fargo & Co.’s town hall meetings, executives have fielded countless questions from employees about efforts to resolve scandals that erupted almost three years ago. One looming topic hasn’t come up recently: Who will run the bank? While the abrupt exit of Chief Executive Officer Tim Sloan in March kicked off a succession hunt that’s captivated the industry, ...

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Norway’s $1 trillion wealth fund ends bet on higher rates

Bloomberg Norway’s $1 trillion wealth fund ended a long-running bet on higher interest rates as market turmoil drove a quarter of its massive bond portfolio into yields below zero. After presenting second-quarter earnings in Oslo on Wednesday, Norges Bank Investment Management’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer Trond Grande said the fund is now no longer short duration compared to its benchmark, ...

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Goldman expects Fed to cut interest rates ‘twice’

Bloomberg Goldman Sachs Group Inc. economists predict Federal Reserve officials will cut interest rates at each of their next two meetings — in part because of a desire to keep bond markets calm. Having lowered their benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 2-2.25% in July, policy makers will execute reductions of the same size in September and October with ...

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UK may delay naming next BOE head until after Brexit

Bloomberg The UK is considering delaying two key announcements in the latest sign that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government is on an election footing. Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid may wait to name a successor to Bank of England (BOE) Governor Mark Carney until after Britain’s planned October 31 departure from the European Union. Javid may also have to ...

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BofA hires tech banker from Citi

Bloomberg Bank of America Corp. (BofA) has hired investment banker Samardh Kumar from Citigroup Inc. to co-head a recently formed group focused on emerging private companies. Kumar, a managing director, will lead the emerging growth and regional coverage group alongside New York-based banker Brendan Hanley, who was appointed to the role in July, according to an internal company memo. Kumar ...

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