Saudi Arabia bank pegs growth hopes on mortgages, reforms

Bloomberg Saudi Arabia’s second-biggest bank is betting that government efforts to develop the entertainment industry, boost home-ownership and open up the role of women in the economy will fuel growth this year. The kingdom is undergoing an economic overhaul driven by crown prince Mohammed bin Salman that includes removing restrictions on cinemas, concerts and women driving and working. It also ...

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HSBC to pay $100mn to settle libor-rigging lawsuit

Bloomberg HSBC Holdings Plc agreed to pay $100 million to settle an antitrust lawsuit by over-the-counter investors, including the city of Baltimore and Yale University, who claimed they were harmed when they bought securities tied to rigged Libor. The proposed settlement by the London-based bank follows similar agreements the investor group reached with Barclays Plc, Citigroup Inc., and most recently ...

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Yen challenges BOJ bid to taper by stealth

Bloomberg The Bank of Japan is finding out just how hard it is to be stealthy — when everyone is looking right at you. The central bank looks set to end this fiscal year well behind on its target for Japanese government bond purchases. But having inadvertently sparked a yen rally in January, a repeat of this “stealth taper” of ...

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Barclays wins its DOJ gamble with $2bn mortgage settlement

Bloomberg Barclays Plc agreed to pay $2 billion to settle a probe into how it sold the sort of mortgage bonds that fueled the financial crisis, securing a penalty less than half of what US authorities originally demanded. The British lender was the only bank to push back against the size of the settlement demanded by the Justice Department, prompting ...

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Defying fed, Egypt cuts interest rates again as inflation falls

Bloomberg Egypt’s central bank cut interest rates for the second time in six weeks after inflation slowed into its target range, shrugging off rising US rates as it unwinds record-high borrowing costs. The monetary policy committee led by Governor Tarek Amer lowered the overnight deposit rate by 100 basis points to 16.75 percent. The move was predicted by all eight ...

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Now, Qantas eyes Chicago direct as next step in ultra-long-haul push

Bloomberg Qantas Airways Ltd. is evaluating direct flights from Australia to Chicago as the next step in its plan to add more ultra-long-haul destinations using an expanding fleet of Boeing Co. 787 jetliners. Fresh from launching the first-ever direct passenger service to Europe—linking Perth with London’s Heathrow hub—Qantas will turn its attention to the US with the next batch of ...

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Walmart in talks with Humana for ‘partnership’

Bloomberg Walmart Inc. is in talks with health insurer Humana Inc. for a closer partnership to provide health care to consumers at home and prevent illness, according to a person familiar with the matter. Health-care spending accounted for about 18 percent of the US economy in 2017, and continues to surge with an aging population, pricey medications, and a complex ...

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Boeing says cyberattack not affected production

Bloomberg Boeing Co. said it was hit by a cyberattack, following a Seattle Times report that some manufacturing equipment used to build its 787 Dreamliner and newest 777 wide-body jets could be crippled. Aircraft production and deliveries aren’t affected, the Chicago-based planemaker said. Some reports on the attack “are overstated and inaccurate,” said Linda Mills, a spokeswoman at Boeing’s commercial ...

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Amazon to sever ties with top Washington lobbying firms

Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc. cut ties with Washington’s biggest lobbying firm and brought on new advisers following passage of the tax overhaul bill in 2017 and in the face of new challenges in the age of President Donald Trump. The shakeup occurred a week before Trump briefly sent Amazon’s stock tumbling with a Twitter attack on the world’s largest online retailer. ...

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Saudi, SoftBank ink $200bn solar deal

Bloomberg Saudi Arabia and SoftBank Group Corp. signed a memorandum of understanding to build a $200 billion solar power development that’s exponentially larger than any other project. SoftBank founder Masay-oshi Son, known for backing ambitious endeavors with flair, unveiled the project in New York at a ceremony with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. The kingdom is seeking to diversify ...

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