Analysis: China struggles for options as COVID threatens economic goals
China’s policymakers are struggling to find ways to ward off an economic slowdown that threatens job losses in a politically sensitive year, as COVID-19 lockdowns disrupt supply chains and jolt businesses.
Euro slips vs dollar ahead of expected red-hot U.S. inflation
The euro fell on Tuesday unable to hold on to the post-French election gains, as the dollar held firm supported by high U.S. yields ahead of inflation data expected to reinforce bets of aggressive monetary tightening.
Oil slides on release of strategic reserves and China lockdowns
Oil prices dropped by more than $2 a barrel on Monday after a second straight weekly decline on plans to release record volumes of crude and oil products from strategic stocks and on continuing coronavirus lockdowns in China.
Global bond sales to cross $10 trillion in 2022, S&P Global Ratings says
Global sovereign borrowing will reach $10.4 trillion in 2022, nearly a third above the average before the coronavirus pandemic, S&P Global Ratings said in a report.
Analysis: With capital markets jittery, private equity pounces to finance tech buyouts
When buyout firm Thoma Bravo LLC was seeking lenders to finance its acquisition of business software company Anaplan Inc (PLAN.N) last month, it skipped banks and went directly to private equity lenders including Blackstone Inc (BX.N) and Apollo Global Management Inc (APO.N). Within eight days, Thoma Bravo secured a $2.6 billion loan based partly on annual recurring revenue, one of the largest of its kind, and announced the $10.7 billion buyout. The Anaplan deal was the latest example of what capital market insiders see as the growing clout of private equity firms’ lending arms in financing leveraged buyouts, particularly of technology companies.
Scotland’s digital technologies body focuses on eLearning
Commissioned from, and written by, Wendy Edie, Managing Director of Scotland’s leading digital learning and assessment developer, eCom Scotland, the White Paper advocates deploying technology-delivered learning to bring sustainability and help drive government and corporate agendas regarding upskilling, re-skilling and performance support. It argues that, while not every organisation may be ready and eager to apply such technologies as automation and artificial intelligence to its learning and development activities, every organisation needs to consider how digital learning technology can support its teams to deliver continually improving performance.
Central banks seen enhancing liquidity after SWIFT ban – Credit Suisse strategist
The banning of certain Russian banks from the SWIFT international payment system could push central banks to enhance liquidity to offset missed payments, a Credit Suisse strategist said on Sunday.
EXCLUSIVE ECB must keep buying bonds to cushion Ukraine fallout, Stournaras says
The European Central Bank should continue its bond-buying stimulus programme at least until the end of the year and keep it open-ended to cushion the fallout from any conflict in Ukraine, ECB policymaker Yannis Stournaras told Reuters.
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.
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.
