UK takeover bids tumbled amid banking crisis fears – as private equity firms smell bargains April 12, 2023 Takeover attempts in the UK tumbled sharply in the first three months of the year as fears of a global banking crisis roiled markets and spooked the City’s dealmakers.
IMF: Risks to financial stability have ‘increased rapidly’ but won’t threaten fight against inflation April 11, 2023 Risks to financial stability have “increased rapidly” since October last year but they were unlikely to be big enough to distract central banks from fighting inflation, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said today. The global economic watchdog’s biannual financial stability report pointed to a range of different threats to financial stability following the turmoil in the banking [...]
“A dramatic tragedy”: Swiss parliament split on UBS takeover of Credit Suisse April 11, 2023 Swiss authorities defended the state-brokered merger of the country’s two largest banks, UBS and Credit Suisse, in an emergency parliamentary session called to scrutinise the decision. The Swiss President, Alain Berset, argued “the Federal Council was obliged to intervene to maintain stability both in Switzerland and internationally and to protect the economy.” “A failure of [...]
Flight to safety: Money market funds see 5,998 per cent inflow in first quarter April 11, 2023 Money market funds and short term money market products have seen a staggering 5,988 per cent increase in net flows in the first quarter, according to data from Hargreaves Lansdown Money market funds invest in high-quality, short-term debt, and they generally offer slightly higher returns than bank deposits. As interest rates have risen at their [...]
Why has an Enfield Barclays branch been given Grade 2 listed status? April 10, 2023 An “exuberant” Barclays branch in London, home to the world’s first automated teller machine (ATM), has been given heritage status as the number of ATMs around the country continues to decline. The bank branch, situated at 20 The Town, Enfield, was fitted with the world’s first ATM in 1967 by the actor and comedian [...]
Crisis-hit MJ Hudson offloads divisions to Apex – with suspended CFO leaving the business April 10, 2023 Asset management consultancy MJ Hudson, which has been embroiled in controversy for months after telling markets it no longer had confidence in its own accounts, has sold some of its divisions to the Bermuda-HQed financial services giant Apex. The deal was communicated to staff at the back end of last week, with a fractious all-hands [...]
IMF and World Bank meetings: What will central bankers and finance chiefs be talking about? April 10, 2023 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank are meeting in Washington this week for their Spring meeting with the stability of the banking sector high up the agenda. Finance ministers and central bankers from around the world will come together with much to discuss, particularly after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank sent shockwaves [...]
US economy adds 236,000 jobs in March as Fed rate hikes help cool labour market April 7, 2023 The US added 236,000 new jobs in March, the latest sign that the labour market is beginning to cool as the US Federal Reserve (Fed) continues to hike interest rates. The number of new jobs fell below the number added in February and the average monthly gain of 334,000 recorded in the last six months, [...]
Sluggish progress on open banking regulation has left consumers ‘at risk’ April 7, 2023 Sluggish progress on open banking regulation has left consumers “unduly at risk” and regulators need to urgently ramp up protection measures, a group of experts has warned. Open banking, which was rolled out by regulators in 2017 to force high street lenders to open customers’ data to trusted third-party firms, has been consistently touted by [...]
Is it over now? Where next for the banking crisis in Europe April 7, 2023 Is that it? After a few weeks of exhilarating volatility, European banking stocks have settled into a more reliable pattern. It seems dramatic regulatory interventions have stemmed the possibility of immediate financial difficulties. The question now is whether the events of the past few weeks are symptoms of wider financial problems which will be brought [...]