Global stock market outlook modest even before Russia-Ukraine escalation

Global stock markets were already headed for a volatile year with modest gains even before the latest escalation of the Russia-Ukraine crisis, according to a Reuters poll of around 120 equity market analysts and brokers around the world.
Munich Re forecasts 2022 profit lift after pandemic rebound

German reinsurance group Munich Re on Wednesday forecast a 14% jump in profit this year as it reported a bounceback in 2021 from the coronavirus pandemic despite big claims from natural disasters.
Barclays boosts investor payouts after record annual profit

LONDON, Feb 23 (Reuters) – Barclays (BARC.L)reported a record annual profit for 2021 and returned 2.5 billion pounds to shareholders via dividends and buybacks, as bad loan charges plunged and its investment bank continued its strong recent performance. The British lender on Wednesday reported a pretax profit of 8.4 billion pounds ($11.42 billion), above analyst expectations […]
World stocks bounce as investors eye Putin’s next steps in Ukraine

Global stocks broke a four-day slide on Wednesday and demand for safe-haven assets waned, with investors waiting to see Russian President Vladimir Putin’s next move after he sent troops into separatist regions of Ukraine.
Hybrid work trend drives PC maker Lenovo’s Q3 profit to record high

Third-quarter profit jumped 62% to an all-time high of $640 million at China’s Lenovo Group (0992.HK), the world’s biggest maker of personal computers said on Wednesday, as the growing popularity of hybrid work arrangements boosts demand for PCs.
U.S. to hold its biggest offshore wind auction

The United States will hold its biggest ever sale of offshore wind development rights on Wednesday, in an area covering nearly half a million acres off the coasts of New York and New Jersey.
Explainer: Western sanctions on banks only scratch surface of Fortress Russia

The United States, the European Union and Britain announced new sanctions on Russia on Tuesday after Moscow’s recognition of two separatist regions in Ukraine as independent entities.
HSBC boosts profitability goal on higher rates, profit doubling

HSBC (HSBA.L) brought forward its key profitability target by a year and more than doubled its annual profit as expected bad loans from the COVID-19 pandemic failed to materialise, and it pointed to rising interest rates lifting its income.
EXCLUSIVE Contracts show Lebanon’s central bank obscured recipients of commissions

For more than a decade, Lebanon’s central bank charged commercial banks in the country commissions when they bought government securities without making clear that the bulk of those commissions went to a company controlled by the brother of the central bank’s governor, according to documents seen by Reuters.
EU Parliament’s top group suggests blacklisting Switzerland after Credit Suisse leaks

The main political grouping in the European Parliament called on Monday for a review of Switzerland’s banking practices and for the country’s possible inclusion in the EU’s dirty-money blacklist after leaks of Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) documents.