Bloomberg The pound’s world-beating rally is unsustainable as traders are over-optimistic about the way forward on Brexit, according to money managers. Sterling has gained more than 3 percent versus the dollar this year, the most among its Group-of-10 peers, on conviction that the possibility of a no-deal Brexit has receded. Fund managers at both Aberdeen Standard Investments and BlueBay Asset ...
Read More »Nissan faces SEC probe in US over exec pay
Bloomberg The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating whether Nissan Motor Co accurately disclosed its executive pay in the US, according to several people familiar with the matter, compounding the carmaker’s woes as it grapples with the aftermath of former chairman Carlos Ghosn’s arrest. The US financial regulator is examining whether Nissan’s executive-pay disclosures were accurate and whether the ...
Read More »Malaysia to put $5.5 billion of homes on sale rack in March
Bloomberg Malaysia is planning a sale for $5.5 billion of real estate to bridge the gap between property oversupply and lack of affordable homes, with developers asked to offer at least 10 percent discount. The numbers are staggering: about 180 developers will offer 22,000 units worth a total of 22.5 billion ringgit ($5.5 billion) at the expo planned for March ...
Read More »Pakistan looks to raise $500mn from diaspora
Bloomberg Pakistan will raise $500 million in March through a fund aimed at its nationals living overseas, as South Asia’s second-biggest economy seeks investment after averting a balance-of-payment crisis. Pakistani citizens living abroad will be asked to invest in the fund managed by the Board of Investment and the central bank, Haroon Sharif, the chairman of the state-run agency, said. ...
Read More »Hong Kong’s exports fall amid trade gloom
Bloomberg Exports from Hong Kong fell more than expected in December as the impact of US-China trade tensions deepened in the port city, the first time sales abroad have contracted in consecutive months since 2016. December exports tumbled 5.8 percent from a year ago to HK$339.9 billion ($43.3 billion), while imports slid 7 percent to HK$391.2 billion in the same ...
Read More »Takeda plans biggest Japanese company bond sale
Bloomberg Takeda Pharmaceutical Co is planning what would be the biggest single-tranche Japanese corporate yen bond sale in an effort to extend its debt obligations following its $62 billion purchase of Shire Plc, according to people with knowledge of the discussions. The drug maker is planning to sell as much as 500 billion yen ($4.6 billion) of hybrid notes in ...
Read More »EU sees Siemens-Alstom deal remedies inadequate
Bloomberg A last-ditch bid by Siemens AG and Alstom SA to win approval from the European Union’s top antitrust regulator for their planned rail merger isn’t good enough to allay concerns about competition, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The fresh concessions, first reported by Bloomberg January 25, come too late and fall short of the bold ...
Read More »France prepares to toughen 5G telecom equipment access
Bloomberg The French government is preparing to toughen access for equipment makers to its future 5G telecommunications networks. The government is readying an amendment to the appropriate law with a view to make the vetting process for gear more stringent and increase the oversight of suppliers and locations by the concerned authorities, according to the Finance Ministry. The new rules ...
Read More »German manufacturing slump weighs on euro-area economy
Bloomberg Germany’s industrial slump worsened at the start of 2019, dragging the euro-area economy into its worst performance in more than five years. IHS Markit’s monthly index showed manufacturing in Germany shrank for the first time in four years. In euro area it barely grew, and a broader measure of activity dropped to weakest since 2013. The euro fell after ...
Read More »Another year, another $1trn in new debt for US to raise
Bloomberg The US Treasury Department is set to maintain elevated sales of long-term debt to finance the government’s widening budget deficit, with new issuance projected to top $1 trillion for a second-straight year. Many strategists at primary-dealer firms predict that this Wednesday’s quarterly refunding announcement will see the Treasury maintain note and bond sales at the record high levels they ...
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