French government debt has capped its best run since the aftermath of Britain’s vote for Brexit, underlining the rapid shift in investor sentiment towards the country’s presidential election which now looms over financial markets. The yield on the 10-year French bond dropped to its lowest in a month, as money managers and traders continued to take succour after centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron received the backing of potential […]
In a Facebook post, Barbara Tyler is merciless. “Hey, did anyone think of proofreading your headline today before the paper went to press? I am pretty sure Trump did not replace his vice president. Fake news at its best. Sometimes I wonder why I continue to subscribe to your paper.” Tyler was responding to an extraordinary slip-up by The Bryan College-Station Eagle. The Texas newspaper’s top headline […]
Saudi Arabia may increase its domestic gasoline prices by 30 percent from July, industry sources said, part of a reform plan by the world’s top oil exporter to align its fuel prices with global benchmark levels. In December 2015 the kingdom raised the price of 95 octane gasoline to 0.90 riyal ($0.24) per litre from 0.60 riyal. However, that still kept Saudi Arabia among the countries with […]
The Center for Public Integrity officially announced the spinoff of The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) today. “We’re intensely proud of the success of the consortium and also proud to have birthed it, nurtured it and sustained it for nearly two decades,” said John Dunbar, chief executive officer of the Center for Public Integrity. “We wish them nothing but continued success.” The ICIJ has tremendous momentum and […]
It was less than a year ago that the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and more than 100 other media partners began publishing the largest investigation in journalism history: The Panama Papers. Even here at ICIJ – where we’ve grown accustomed to our work sparking major impacts – we were surprised by the reaction. Citizens hit the streets in protest. Governments and corporations around the world opened […]
LONDON/FRANKFURT The London Stock Exchange (LSE.L) has all but ended a planned merger with Deutsche Boerse (DB1Gn.DE) to create Europe’s biggest stock exchange by ruling out meeting a European antitrust demand, saying it has strong prospects alone. In a bid to create a European trading powerhouse that would better compete against U.S. rivals making inroads on their home turf, the two exchanges struck a 29 billion euro […]
Monday 08:50 GMT Overview European stock markets are making gains, tracking another set of record highs for Wall Street’s main equities gauges. The rally reaches the region even after Asia missed out, with banking and commodity stocks leading a sell-off there. Hot topic US equity futures are pointing to further gains after a late rally on Friday pushed the S&P 500 up 0.2 per cent while the […]
The Panama Papers investigation has been honored with a George Polk Award for financial journalism, the award sponsor, Long Island University, announced. The series, which exposed offshore tax havens and rattled leaders from around the world, was headed up by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, a project of the Center for Public Integrity. The Polk Awards judges lauded the reporting collaboration for sparking official investigations and […]
Here are the big questions for investors and markets this week. Will investors like what they hear from President Trump? Mr Trump will address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday (it’s not officially a State of the Union) and with US equities in record territory, investors are very much focused on tax reform and other fiscal measures. Here’s where the Trump trade — based on the […]
By Trevor Hunnicutt and Jonathan Stempel | NEW YORK NEW YORK Billionaire Warren Buffett, whose stock picks over several decades have enriched generations of Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) shareholders, delivered a black eye to the investment industry on Saturday, urging ordinary investors to buy plain-vanilla index funds. “When trillions of dollars are managed by Wall Streeters charging high fees, it will usually be the managers who reap […]
Top executives at some of the world’s biggest banks and insurers will have to vouch for their companies’ resilience to cyber attacks, under tough rules laid down by New York’s state regulator. A new regulation, which takes effect on March 1, requires companies supervised by New York’s Department of Financial Services to establish and maintain a cyber security programme that can protect consumers’ private data and “ensure […]
In a small office on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, the same Paris street as the Élysée Palace, the secretive “ideas and images” online unit of France’s far-right National Front was planning its next attack. As the battle for the presidency hotted up, signs that Emmanuel Macron, the centrist presidential contender, was polling strongly raised the possibility that he would make the second round vote to face FN […]
Saudi Aramco’s initial public offering (IPO) could encourage other Gulf countries to list their oil assets, a leading regional economist said, but the oil giant must clear uncertainties over taxation, OPEC policy and ownership of crude. Nasser Saidi, a former economy minister of Lebanon, told Dubai Eye Radio in an interview that Aramco has to address how the company will separate its assets and liabilities from those […]
The chairman of Dubai Holding, the investment vehicle of the emirate’s ruler and a major force in developing the Dubai economy, has resigned to focus on his role in the national government, the conglomerate said on Saturday. As head of Dubai Holding, Mohammed Abdullah al-Gergawi oversaw a $35 billion portfolio of assets in more than 20 countries, in industries ranging from tourism and real estate to media, […]
Written by Ritu Sarin | New Delhi | Updated: February 21, 2017 4:43 pm In majority cases, responses are awaited from offshore entity owners on the purpose of setting up these companies and the nature of financial transactions. The Panama Papers probe in India has gathered pace with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) dispatching what is being described as “advisories” to over 100 people named in the global […]
Corporate speeches usually avoid talk of a “difficult and dark” past. But this month Mark Cutifani, head of Anglo American, defended the South African mining industry’s record on opening up ownership to the country’s black majority. With the government planning to shore up black participation in mining, the next few months are the most critical in the sector’s 150-year history, Mr Cutifani said. Many “still don’t understand” […]
25 February 2017 Fitch Ratings-London-24 February 2017: Fitch Ratings has assigned UAE based Majid Al Futtaim Holding LLC’s (MAF) proposed benchmark size subordinated perpetual hybrid notes a rating of ‘BB+(EXP)’. The proposed securities qualify for 50% equity credit. The final rating is contingent on the receipt of final documents conforming materially to the preliminary documentation reviewed. The hybrid note proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes […]
February 25, 2017 by: Arash Massoudi and Javier Espinoza Bain Capital has made a €3.6bn offer to buy Stada, as the bidding war between private equity firms for the German maker of generic versions of drugs such as Viagra nears its climax. The offer from the US-based buyout group values shares in Stada at €58 a share and comes two days after its rival Advent International also […]
25 February 2017 MARC has affirmed its AAA(bg) rating on Boustead Holdings Berhad’s (Boustead) RM1.0 billion Bank-Guaranteed Medium-Term Notes (BG MTN) programme with a stable outlook. The rating reflects the credit strength of the syndicated bank guarantee facility provided by OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad (OCBC Malaysia), Public Bank Berhad (Public Bank), Malayan Banking Berhad (Maybank) and The Bank of East Asia (BEA) Labuan Branch, all of which carry financial institution ratings […]
Image credit: Arqiva Samsung Electronics says it will start the UK’s first 5G broadband network in central London, following earlier trials South Korea, China and Japan. In London, it will work with Arqiva, which is best known for DAB radio broadcasting. Arqiva has a licence to use the 28GHz spectrum across the UK, and will host a number of Samsung’s 5G base stations. Arqiva’s CEO, Simon Beresford-Wylie, […]
North Korea is evading international sanctions with a sophisticated network of overseas companies, enabled partly by its continued access to the international banking system, says a forthcoming United Nations report seen by Reuters. North Korea is under heavy U.N. sanctions and a strict arms embargo designed to impede the development of its banned nuclear and missile programmes. The U.N. panel of experts, which produced the 100-page draft […]
The five largest banks in the UAE are forecast to see profitability remaining “solid” over the next 12-18 months, according to ratings agency Moody’s. In the fourth quarter of 2016, Emirates NBD, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, First Gulf Bank and Dubai Islamic Bank posted solid profitability, said Moody’s Investors Service in a report. “We expect the five large United Arab Emirates banks’ […]
By Venus Wu and Greg Torode | HONG KONG HONG KONG Developments in Hong Kong have affected confidence in a system of government intended to ensure the Chinese-ruled city’s autonomy, though its rule of law remained robust “despite challenges”, former colonial power Britain said on Friday. Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997 with guarantees it would retain extensive autonomy, an independent legal system and […]
SoFi, the biggest and the brashest of a new breed of online lenders in the US, has sealed a $500m funding round, giving it firepower to push into new products and markets including Canada and Australia. The private San Francisco-based company last received a big shot of funds — its fifth — in September 2015, when SoftBank of Japan led a $1bn round, the biggest in the […]
