Spare a thought for Fed’s Jerome Powell

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is an experienced central banker and won’t be surprised at the rough reception he’s been getting lately from analysts and commentators. This kind of treatment is traditional, almost mandatory, for a recently appointed Fed chief. Nonetheless, it shows he’ll have his work cut out in nudging the Fed towards the approach to monetary policy he ...

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Why cutting interest rates won’t help China economy?

The Chinese economy is sputtering, deflation looms and businesses are downbeat. Trade tensions with the US portend an even scarier growth outlook. The Federal Reserve, too, has given China more room to ease. So where are the outright rate cuts? Beijing has pulled out many other weapons from its vast arsenal. Most recently it introduced a new tool that extends ...

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Exxon speaks up as Chevron catches up

Exxon Mobil Corp. wants you to know it is serious. On February 1, Darren Woods became the first CEO of the famously aloof oil major to grace an earnings call in 15 years. Fortunately for him, he had some decent results to talk about. After several quarters of decline, year over year, Exxon’s production finally ticked up in the last ...

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Angel investors must be spared India’s tax hell

About three years ago, Anup Kuruvilla left his corporate banking job in Hong Kong to return to Bangalore and assemble a group of wealthy individuals willing to place small, early-stage bets on fledgling founders. 1Crowd, the platform Kuruvilla and his partners helped set up, has 500 investors. Members co-invest with 1Crowd Fund, sharing the risks in mentoring young ventures: Some ...

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NordLB gets $4 billion state rescue as Cerberus loses out

Bloomberg Germany’s NordLB will be bailed out by public-sector savings banks and the state of Lower Saxony at a cost of as much as 3.7 billion euros ($4.2 billion), thwarting a bid by Cerberus Capital Management and Centerbridge Partners for a stake in the struggling lender. The restructuring package, which Lower Saxony Premier Stephan Weil called “the best of all ...

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2020 might not be a year to think about recession: JPMorgan

Bloomberg The Federal Reserve’s change in tone may mean investors should reconsider the timing of the investment cycle, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. That means investors shouldn’t be driven by fears of recession for now, JP Morgan analysts said. The Fed signalled last week that it’s done raising rates for at least a little while, and that it’ll be ...

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Danske staff told not to fear bonus cuts amid Estonian scandal

Bloomberg Danske Bank A/S may be facing billions of dollars in fines for its Estonian laundering scandal, but its employees don’t need to worry about having their bonuses cut. Jesper Nielsen, who’s been running the bank on an interim basis since Thomas Borgen was relieved of his duties as chief executive in October, says there might be some bonus adjustments ...

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No rush to reverse last year’s rate hikes, says Philippine central banker

Bloomberg Philippine central bank Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said a quick reversal of last year’s monetary tightening — either through a reduction in the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves or a cut in key interest rates — would be “bad economic or monetary policy.” While inflation in the last two months of 2018 cooled from a ...

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Australia bank execs get lashed for misconduct

Bloomberg The final report of an inquiry into misconduct in Australia’s financial system will land with a thud at National Australia Bank Ltd.’s headquarters. It’s just not the size of the three-volume report, but the blast aimed at Chief Executive Officer Andrew Thorburn and Chairman Ken Henry, who testified during the Royal Commission’s final round of hearings. “Having heard from ...

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Ryanair CEO retreats from daily fray amid union strife

Bloomberg Ryanair Holdings Plc Chief Executive Officer Michael O’Leary will step back from day-to-day management as the discount carrier moves to a group structure that puts union negotiations into the hands of subordinates after a year of labour strife. Chairman David Bonderman, in the post since 1996, will also leave next year, according to a statement on Monday, following investor ...

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