DUBAI / Reuters Gulf stock markets mostly moved little in early trade on Tuesday, restrained by weak oil prices and mixed corporate earnings, while Saudi Arabian Mining Co (Ma’aden) fell sharply after announcing a plunge in second-quarter profit. The Saudi stock index dropped 0.3 percent in the first half hour as Ma’aden slid 4.4 percent. It posted a 51 ...
Read More »BofA beats estimates as Moynihan vows deep cuts
Bloomberg Bank of America (BofA) Corp. posted higher profit in each of its four main businesses as bond-trading revenue increased more than analysts estimated and expenses fell. The second-biggest US bank by assets led financial stocks higher this week after reporting earnings per share of 36 cents, beating the 33-cent average estimate of analysts. Net income dropped 21 percent ...
Read More »Indian state banks to get capital boost of $3.4bn
Bloomberg State Bank of India and Indian Overseas Bank are among 13 state-owned Indian lenders that will receive a total of 229.2 billion rupees ($3.4 billion) in capital as the government seeks to contain risks in the banking industry while sustaining credit growth. The State Bank of India will get 75.8 billion rupees, while Indian Overseas Bank will receive ...
Read More »Schroders fund pushes stake limit in Russia-based Sberbank
Bloomberg Rollo Roscow has maxed out his holdings of Sberbank PJSC, the Russian lender that has surged as much 119 percent from late January. If he had his way, he’d probably buy more. The advance in the London-traded stock comes after a 46 percent rally in 2015 and has been driven by a rebound in oil prices and a ...
Read More »BEA shares dip after Elliott’s legal action
BLOOMBERG Bank of East Asia (BEA) Ltd. shares dropped the most in two weeks in Hong Kong after Elliott Management started legal action alleging that the family-run lender acted improperly when issuing stock, which it says diluted minority investors and entrenched management control. The stock sank as much as 2.8 percent on Tuesday, the biggest intraday slide since July ...
Read More »Eurozone bank sector improves: ECB survey
Frankfurt / AFP Europe’s financial sector is showing further signs of mending and banks are increasingly competing for custom by easing credit standards, a key European Central Bank survey showed on Tuesday. The ECB said its quarterly bank lending survey (BLS) showed banks are easing credit standards for loans to companies. However, this is an encouraging sign, since the ...
Read More »Santander doubles fintech bet with $200 million fund
Bloomberg Ana Botin, the chairman of Banco Santander SA, is doubling the lender’s bet on fintech. Spain’s biggest bank said that it was boosting its investment in Santander InnoVentures, its London-based financial technology fund, to $200 million from $100 million. The fund takes minority stakes in promising startups, aiming to incorporate innovative technology in its banking operations. “A deeper ...
Read More »Wells Fargo to buy new London headquarters for expansion
Bloomberg Wells Fargo & Co. agreed to purchase a new London headquarters in a move that will enable the US bank to increase its presence in the UK capital. The building, known as 33 Central, is due to be completed in the third quarter of 2017, according to a statement on Monday from the developer, HB Reavis Group. The ...
Read More »China home costs dip as cities enforce curbs
Bloomberg China’s home-price gains tapered off last month, as second-tier cities joined some of the nation’s largest hubs in imposing housing curbs to cool surging prices. New-home prices excluding government-subsidised housing climbed in 55 cities in June, down from 60 in May, among the 70 tracked, the National Bureau of Statistics said this week. Prices dropped in 10 cities, ...
Read More »London home values may fall by over 30pc, opines SocGen
Bloomberg London’s seven-year housing boom may be about to end after the UK voted to leave the European Union. “While in recent stress tests, the major UK banks were assessed with declines of around 30 percent in commercial real estate prices, we fear that London residential could experience an even more severe downturn,†Societe Generale analysts including Marc Mozzi ...
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