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☆ UK's FTSE 100 edges higher on mining boost
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SummarySummary Companies FTSE 100 up 0.2%, FTSE 250 adds 0.3%July 3 (Reuters) - UK's FTSE 100 gained on Monday led by mining stocks on higher metal prices, while shares of other Chinese-exposed firms gained on rising hopes of more policy support in the world's second-largest economy. By 0715 GMT, the blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) gained 0.2%, while the more domestically-focussed FTSE 250 midcap index (.FTMC) rose 0.3%. Industrial metal miners (.FTNMX551020) advanced 1.3% as prices of base metals rose, buoyed by improved sentiment. China-exposed banks HSBC (HSBA.L) and Standard Chartered (STAN.L) rose 0.5% and 1.2%, respectively, while insurer Prudential (PRU.L) added 0.9% as hopes of more policy support grew after another weak data point and commentary from Chinese officials. Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Drugmaker, Shashwat Chauhan, Rashmi Organizations: HSBC, Standard Chartered, Prudential, Drugmaker AstraZeneca, Thomson Locations: China, Bengaluru

The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) closed 0.1% higher, snapping its six-day losing streak. "Markets are expecting either the data to improve from China or stimulus to increase from the government. "This realization is dawning among investors yet again, that the inflationary fight is far from over." The healthcare sector has been declining in recent weeks and is down nearly 2.9% so far this month. Reporting by Amruta Khandekar, Siddarth S and Matteo Allievi in Gdansk; Editing by Rashmi Aich, Sonia Cheema, William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: ECB's Lagarde, Christine Lagarde, Li Qiang, Giles Coghlan, Susannah Streeter, Hargreaves Lansdown, Streeter, Goldman Sachs, Amruta Khandekar, Siddarth, Matteo Allievi, Rashmi Aich, Sonia Cheema, William Maclean Organizations: European Central Bank, HSBC, Prudential Plc, Hargreaves, Siemens Energy, Thomson Locations: China, Russia, U.S, Gdansk

☆ European shares rise as China optimism lifts miners
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 27 (Reuters) - European shares rose on Tuesday as miners gained after hopes of more policy support from China lifted metal prices, while shares of JD Sports dipped even after the British retailer stuck to its profit forecast. The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) was up 0.5% by 0813 GMT, after falling for six sessions in a row. China's Premier Li Qiang said the country's economic growth in the second quarter would be higher than the first and was expected to reach the annual economic growth target of around 5%. JD Sports Fashion (JD.L), however, fell 4.1% to the bottom of the STOXX 600 after the company flagged some softening in trade in its North American business in June. Reporting by Amruta Khandekar; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Li Qiang, Christine Lagarde, Amruta Khandekar, Rashmi Organizations: JD Sports, Miners, Prudential Plc, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: China, Sintra

☆ Australia regulator tells Medibank to set aside $167 mln after data breach
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, June 27 (Reuters) - Australia's banking regulator told insurer Medibank (MPL.AX) on Tuesday it would have to set aside A$250 million ($167 million) in extra capital, citing weaknesses identified in its information security after a network intrusion. "In taking this action, APRA seeks to ensure that Medibank expedites its remediation programme," member Suzanne Smith said. In a statement, Medibank said it had sufficient existing capital to meet the capital adjustment and would continue to work together with APRA on remediation measures. The regulator will also conduct a targeted technology review of Medibank, with a focus on governance and risk culture. ($1 = 1.4981 Australian dollars)Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Chris Reese and Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Medibank, Suzanne Smith, Renju Jose, Chris Reese, Lincoln Organizations: SYDNEY, Australian Prudential, Regulation Authority, APRA, Thomson Locations: Australia, Sydney

☆ CBA lowers home loan buffer rates for some refinancing clients to 1%
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 21 (Reuters) - Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA.AX) on Wednesday cut its buffer rate for some borrowers refinancing their existing home loan to 1% from the industry standard of 3%, providing relief to many clients who would otherwise fail to qualify due to high interest rates. The country's prudential regulator advises lenders to refinance home loans only if they believe the customer could repay at 3% higher than current market rates. While CBA's alternate buffer is not in line with the regulator's recommendation, it does not break the serviceability buffer, the regulator said, as it allows exceptions to the policy but warns against high volumes. CBA has a quarter of the Australian mortgage market, where thousands of borrowers are expected to end their fixed rate loans this year, forcing them to shop around for new loans at current rates. "We know that due to the current interest rate environment some home owners are facing challenges refinancing their home loans so we are introducing an alternate interest rate serviceability buffer," CBA's Michael Baumann, executive general manager home buying said.

Persons: CBA's Michael Baumann, Sameer Manekar, Byron Kaye, Nivedita Organizations: Commonwealth Bank of Australia, prudential, CBA, Prudential Regulation Authority, Westpac Banking Corp, Reserve Bank of Australia, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru, Sydney

☆ House Democrats release wave of bank reform bills
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

WASHINGTON — House Democrats on Wednesday will release a slate of reform bills in response to the recent bank failures that triggered the worst crisis for the sector since 2008. "The failures of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic Bank make clear that it is past time for legislation aimed at strengthening the safety and soundness of our banking system and enhancing bank executive accountability," she said. President Joe Biden called for these actions shortly after the FDIC took over SVB and Signature Bank in March. The bill would have prevented SVB bank executives from cashing out after repeated warnings by regulators, according to Democrats. Neither Signature Bank nor SVB had a bank holding company before they collapsed.

Persons: Maxine Waters, Dodd, Frank, Waters, Joe Biden, Nydia Velazquez, Brad Sherman, Juan Vargas, David Scott, Al Green, Sylvia Garcia of, Emanuel Cleaver, Joyce Beatty, Steven Horsford, Rashida, Velazquez, Sherman, Cleaver, Beatty, Frank Act's, SVB, Vargas, Garcia, Tlaib, Banks, Sean Casten, Josh Gottheimer, Ritchie Torres, Wiley Nickel, Stephen Lynch, Brittany Pettersen Organizations: Financial Services, Washington , D.C, WASHINGTON —, Democrats, Financial Services Committee, Treasury Department, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, Banking Committee, Valley Bank, First Republic Bank, FDIC, Democratic, Sylvia Garcia of Texas, Republicans, Sound Banking, Prudential, prudential, Bank, Green, Sherman, Rep, Federal, Office, Federal Reserve, FAIR, Tlaib, Safety, Sherman . Locations: California, Washington ,, New York, Georgia, Missouri, Ohio, Michigan, Green, Horsford, H.R, Silicon, Illinois, New Jersey, North Carolina, Colo

☆ UBS faces big penalty over Credit Suisse's Archegos failings -FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

UBS has asked the U.S. Federal Reserve, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority and UK's Prudential Regulation Authority to publish their findings and announce any penalties jointly at the end of July, FT reported. The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority does not have the power to fine financial institutions, president Marlene Amstad said in May. The New York-based firm's demise caused billions of dollars in losses for Credit Suisse. UBS completed its emergency takeover of embattled rival Credit Suisse last week, forging a Swiss banking and wealth management giant with a $1.6 trillion balance sheet. It set aside $4 billion for potential lawsuits on the Credit Suisse deal in May, according to a presentation.

Persons: Marlene Amstad, Archegos, Chandni Shah, Lisa Shumaker, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: UBS Group AG, Archegos, Swiss, Financial, UBS, U.S . Federal Reserve, Swiss Financial Market, Authority, Prudential, U.S . Federal, Suisse, Credit Suisse, U.S, Fed, Thomson Locations: U.S, New York, Bengaluru

Companies Prudential Financial Inc FollowJune 13 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday partly revived a shareholder lawsuit against Prudential Financial Inc (PRU.N) alleging the insurer concealed a shortfall with its individual life insurance policy reserves in 2019. A spokesperson for Prudential did not immediately respond to a request for comment. While it revived investors' allegations over the mortality statements, the Philadelphia-based appeals court agreed that the adequate level of reserves was a matter of opinion, affirming dismissal of those claims. V. Prudential Financial Inc et al., No. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Persons: Jody Godoy, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Prudential Financial, Prudential Financial Inc, U.S, Circuit, Prudential, Warren Police, Appeals, Thomson Locations: Michigan, Newark , New Jersey, Jersey, Philadelphia, New York

☆ The rich often misjudge the potency of their retirement savings, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Thirty-two percent of high-income households are "not worried enough" about their retirement risk, a larger share than the 26% of low- and middle-income earners. The Center for Retirement Research uses the survey data to construct a National Retirement Risk Index. The index models retirement preparedness according to a range of assets like Social Security, pensions, home equity and employer-sponsored retirement plans, such as a 401(k). Anqi Chen assistant director of savings research, Center for Retirement Research at Boston CollegeIn 2019, 47% of American households were at risk of not being able to maintain their standard of living in retirement, according to the index. Why the rich are more likely to underestimate riskWestend61 | Westend61 | Getty ImagesNineteen percent of U.S. households correctly identify as being at risk of falling short in retirement, according to the center's report.

Persons: Anqi Chen, Chen, they're, David Blanchett, Louis Organizations: Getty, Center for Retirement Research, Boston College, Finance, GOP, Federal Reserve's Survey, Consumer Finances, Retirement Research, Social Security, for Retirement Research, Westend61, Prudential Financial, Federal Reserve Bank of St, Center for Locations: U.S, PGIM

Stocks were rising ahead of this key event next week, with some gaining nice momentum that could build to a notable technical level. These stocks are still shy of the touted "golden cross," as their 50-day moving average has yet to surpass their 200-day moving average, which is seen as a harbinger of more upside ahead. Prudential Financial stock has steadily outpaced its 50-day moving average over the past five trading sessions in June. Shares last closed at $85.76 Wednesday, while the stock's 50-day moving average sits at $82.79. Meanwhile, the stock's Wednesday close of $36.22 sits comfortably above its 50-day moving average of $33.81.

Persons: Stocks, FactSet Organizations: Federal Reserve, CNBC, Prudential Financial, Fox Class, General Motors

SYDNEY, June 2 (Reuters) - Australia's largest pension fund will pause use of the domestic unit of auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as the "big four" firm reels from a national scandal over its use of confidential government tax plans to drum up work with global clients. The roughly A$290 billion ($196.71 billion) fund, AustralianSuper, has frozen new contracts with PwC and expressed concerns about the scandal "at the highest level", according to a spokesperson. An audit contract worth A$1.6 million in 2022, will be reviewed this year, the spokesperson added. The Reserve Bank of Australia on Wednesday froze future work while Treasury and the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority have hinted that the firm is blacklisted. The A$150 billion AwareSuper said the fund was working with PwC to determine whether tax advisers who had worked with the fund were implicated in the leak.

Persons: PwC, Lewis Jackson, Gerry Doyle Organizations: SYDNEY, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Reserve Bank of Australia, Wednesday, Treasury, Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority, Thomson Locations: Australia

SYDNEY, May 31 (Reuters) - The Reserve Bank of Australia will not sign any new contracts with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Australia until a scandal over the firm's misuse of confidential government tax plans is sorted out, the central bank's governor said on Wednesday. The "big four" firm is on the defense after a former Australian tax partner who was consulting with the government on laws to prevent corporate tax avoidance shared confidential drafts with colleagues to drum up business around the world. As of May 16, the government had committed to contracts worth A$255 million ($173 million) with PwC in the current financial year alone, a finance department official told a parliamentary hearing last week. "(We) have taken the decision to enter no new contracts with PwC until a satisfactory response has been forthcoming," Lowe said. APRA had also spoken with major Australian banks about their ties to PwC, as recently as last week, added Lonsdale.

Persons: Philip Lowe, " Lowe, John Lonsdale, Lonsdale, Steven Kennedy, Kristin Stubbins, PwC, Lewis Jackson, Sonali Paul Organizations: SYDNEY, Reserve Bank of Australia, PricewaterhouseCoopers, PwC, Prudential Regulation Authority, APRA, prudential, Thomson Locations: Australia, Australian

☆ Greg Fleming's Rockefeller strategic-advisory team defies dealmaking drought thanks to this rich family
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Hayley Cuccinello | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The wealth manager's CEO Greg Fleming has deep ties to the Desmarais family behind the insurer. In the midst of a dealmaking lull, Rockefeller Capital Management can add another billion-dollar advisory deal to its resume. Advised by the five-year-old firm, Canadian insurer Great-West Lifeco is selling asset management subsidiary Putnam Investments to Franklin Templeton, the firms announced today. Since Fleming launched Rockefeller, born out of the Standard Oil heirs' family office, Great-West Lifeco has consistently sought the firm's services. The Rockefeller family also increased its stake by an undisclosed amount.

Persons: Rockefeller, Franklin Templeton, Greg Fleming, Lifeco, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Jim Ratigan, Stephen Valentino, Fleming, Paul Desmarais Jr Organizations: Rockefeller Capital Management, Putnam Investments, Pitchbook, Wall Street, Deutsche Bank . Rockefeller, Standard, Rockefeller, Power Corporation of Canada, Viking Global, Bank of America

☆ Pru CFO exit adds urgent task to new CEO’s agenda
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, May 31 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Anil Wadhwani's honeymoon period as Prudential’s (PRU.L) boss has ended abruptly. Just as he prepares to mark 100 days in the role, his Chief Financial Officer James Turner has unexpectedly resigned after an investigation into “a recent recruitment situation”. Worse, Turner’s previous assignment was as Prudential’s chief risk and compliance offer, a position he held for more than four years. Following China’s reopening, mainland visitors purchasing insurance products in Hong Kong helped boost its quarterly annual premium equivalent, a measure of new sales, by 35% year-on-year in the three months to March. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Anil Wadhwani's, James Turner, Turner, Katrina Hamlin, Robyn Mak, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Prudential, Twitter, Toyota, Lufthansa, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong, London, Saudi, East, Italy

☆ Prudential says CFO leaves after conduct falls short of standards
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] People walk past a Prudential sign outside offices in the City of London March 27, 2013. REUTERS/Luke MacGregorSYDNEY/HONG KONG, May 31 (Reuters) - Prudential Plc (PRU.L) said on Wednesday its chief financial officer, James Turner, would leave the company after a code of conduct investigation into a recent recruitment showed he had fallen short of its standards. "The group sets itself high standards and Mr Turner fell short on this occasion," Prudential said in a statement, without detailing the issue. The incident was identified as part of internal processes, and the recruitment in question was not completed, a company spokesperson said, without stating the nature of the misconduct. Reporting by Scott Murdoch in Sydney and Selena Li in Hong Kong; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Luke MacGregor SYDNEY, James Turner, Turner, Ben Bulmer, Mr Turner, Anil Wadhwani, Bulmer, Scott Murdoch, Selena Li, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Prudential, REUTERS, Prudential Plc, HK, Thomson Locations: City of London, HONG KONG, Asia, Sydney, Hong Kong

2 mortgage provider has told mortgage brokers that "if a customer is unable to meet serviceability under the standard assessment criteria", it might apply a modified serviceability assessment rate. Since the buffer is a guideline, banks are allowed to deviate from it. "APRA should consider officially lowering the serviceability buffer for refinancers." Representatives for Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA.AX) and ANZ Banking Group Ltd (ANZ.AX) were not immediately available for comment. ($1 = 1.4743 Australian dollars)Reporting by Byron Kaye and Lewis Jackson; Editing by Edwina GibbsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Analysis: Australian banks' bid to shake mortgage reliance brings new risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"When there's a macroeconomic downturn, it's generally institutional and business lending exposures that are impacted first," he added. For decades, Australian housing finance has significantly outpaced business lending, making home loan margins the engine of profits. A more recent exodus from non-lending retail services like financial advice has further weighted banks' allocation of capital to residential property. The big four banks said in earnings updates this month that their net interest margins peaked in late 2022 and have since narrowed. To hedge against interest rates risks, the Big Four may now chase new services-based revenues from commercial clients in non-lending segments, added Garland.

WASHINGTON, May 15 (Reuters) - Top U.S. banking regulators plan to tell lawmakers the government will be open to future bank mergers, but are committed to establishing tougher rules after recent turmoil. Barr maintained his commitment to overhauling bank rules to ensure firms do not escape stricter oversight because they are smaller or viewed as less risky. "The prudential regulation and supervision of these institutions merits additional attention, particularly with respect to capital, liquidity, and interest rate risk," he said in prepared testimony. While vowing to draft tougher rules, the agencies have also been criticized for not identifying and preventing weaknesses before the lenders failed. In prepared testimony, he said rapid interest rate increases and social media-fueled rumors drove the "unprecedented" bank run that sank his firm.

☆ Stock futures are little changed as traders await Tuesday debt ceiling negotiations: Live updates
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on April 10, 2023 in New York City. Futures tied to the S&P 500 slipped 0.05%, while Nasdaq 100 futures inched lower by 0.08%. Investors are anxiously awaiting progress on a deal to raise the debt ceiling before June 1, which is the earliest date the Treasury Department has said the U.S. could default on its debt obligations. Biden has so far maintained that raising the debt ceiling is non-negotiable. McCarthy, however, has pushed for talks to broker a deal to raise the debt ceiling be tied to spending cuts.

☆ RBNZ proposes collecting more financial entity data on cyber incidents
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is proposing collecting financial entity data on cyber incidents to better understand cyber risks and resilience in the financial sector, it said in a statement on Monday. The central bank said it is proposing introducing mandatory reporting of material cyber incidents with 72 hours of detection, reporting of all cyber incidents periodically even if they are not material, and a regular survey on cyber resilience. The central bank is currently seeking feedback on the proposal before deciding whether to implement the new rules. RBNZ Director of Prudential Policy Kate Le Quesne said collection of this information will improve the bank's understanding of cyber resilience in the financial sector. Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UFC 288: Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo for bantamweight title
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Aimee Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Two-division champion Henry Cejudo, 36, will face Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288 in New Jersey’s Prudential Center for the bantamweight title on Saturday. Cejudo (16-2) left the sport in May 2020 after UFC 249, announcing his decision on the night he beat Dominick Cruz to defend his bantamweight title. A 2008 Olympic wrestling champion, Cejudo successfully transitioned to MMA, becoming a UFC flyweight champion 10 years later before taking the bantamweight title in 2019 to become only the fourth fighter in UFC history to simultaneously hold two belts. “These are the challenges that I like, that’s the stuff that really wakes me up in the morning. In Friday’s weigh-in, the pair got into a heated exchange and Sterling has said that he thrives in the chaos.

☆ Here are the 5 key takeaways from this year's Milken Global conference
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Dakin Campbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

The pullback by banks is raising the hopes of those in the private credit industry. Some panelists and others who spoke in the hallways of the event suggested that there was a large-scale handoff from private equity to private credit. Many private-equity firms are scrambling to raise private credit funds to take advantage. "I don't think this is the end of private equity, but the environment certainly favors private credit," he said. And that will show up in lower returns for private credit funds, she said.

☆ Exclusive: Google's VC firm just led a $12 million Series A investment in Range, a startup that's training AI to give financial advice
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The company is training an AI model to give financial advice and hopes to make human advisors obsolete within a decade. Enter Range, a startup that's looking to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to make human financial planners obsolete. The company is building out a suite of financial planning tools aimed at aging millennials and designed to help streamline investing, saving, and estate planning. 'We're looking to replace you'These recommendations are reviewed and "massaged" by human advisors before being passed on to clients. She said she's excited about the prospect of making her own job obsolete if it means more people having access to financial planning.

☆ MetLife profit drops as economic worries hurt investment income
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 3 (Reuters) - MetLife Inc's (MET.N) first-quarter profit missed Wall street estimates on Wednesday as growing economic uncertainty hurt the insurer's investment income, sending its shares down 2% in extended trading. Adjusted net investment income fell 8% to $4.6 billion in a quarter marred by a string of high-profile bank collapses that roiled financial stocks. "We remain focused on managing risk across economic cycles and controlling what we can to deliver for our shareholders and our stakeholders," Khalaf said. Adjusted premiums, fees and other revenues - excluding pension risk transfers (PRT) at MetLife - rose 3% to $11.54 billion. Rival insurer Prudential Financial Inc (PRU.N) had reported a lower-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday due to a decline in its assets under management.

☆ Morning Bid: Volatile news, not markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

While the Federal Reserve is almost certain to raise interest rates again on Wednesday, the move could be its last. So in a holiday-strewn month around the world, the VIX (.VIX) - Wall St's so-called 'fear gauge' of the implied stock market volatility for the month ahead - hit its lowest level on Monday since November 2021. Even though it ticked back up a bit above 16 overnight, it remains three full points below its 33-year historical average. For macro markets, the Fed decision is complicated by the debt ceiling and banking backdrop. March job openings numbers later on Tuesday will give an indication of just how tight the labor market remains.

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