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☆ Euronext has no plans to copy rivals with cloud computing deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Euronext will not mimic rivals by shifting critical services to outside cloud computers given regulatory concerns, the pan-European exchange's chief executive Stephane Boujnah said. London Stock Exchange Group, CME and Nasdaq have all announced partnerships with cloud computing giants like Alphabet, Amazon and Microsoft, with Deutsche Boerse joining them on Thursday in a "strategic partnership" with Google. Euronext only uses a cloud provider for storing historical data, he said. "We analyse very carefully the dependency on certain providers," Boujnah said as Euronext reported full year earnings. Euronext said it has increased its 2024 annual pre-tax savings related to integrating Borsa Italiana by 15 million euros to 115 million, with around 70 million of this achieved by the end of 2023 as implementation costs remain unchanged.

☆ Bank of England's Bailey speaks to lawmakers after hint of rate hike pause
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Below are quotes from Bailey and his colleagues in a question-and-answer session with parliament's Treasury Committee. BAILEY ON PERSISTENCE OF INFLATION"We are concerned about persistence (of inflation) and that's why, frankly, we raised interest rates this time... BAILEY ON PAY DEMANDS"What I would urge is that - particularly going forwards because we think inflation is going to fall very rapidly - that is taken into account." CHIEF ECONOMIST HUW PILL ON POLICY TIGHTENING"It's crucial to see it through, that we do enough to address potential upside risks to inflation." Reporting by William Schomberg, Suban Abdulla, and Sarah Young; editing by William JamesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Last week, Bailey signalled the tide was turning on inflation, even if it was too soon to declare victory. We have got the largest upside skew in our forecasts that we have ever had on inflation," Bailey said. Haskel aligned himself with Catherine Mann who also sees big upside risks to the BoE's price forecasts. By contrast, Tenreyro said the full force of the BoE's rate hikes over the last year had yet to be felt, with economic momentum already fading. "It's crucial to see it through, that we do enough to address potential upside risks to inflation," he said.

☆ Re-think needed to regulate Big Tech in finance, says BIS' Carstens
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Feb 8 (Reuters) - A "re-think" is needed on how to directly regulate activities of Big Tech companies in financial services given their size and influence, Bank for International Settlements General Manager Agustin Carstens said in Wednesday. "Without a doubt, a regulatory re-think is warranted, and we need a new path to follow. One that considers the key role of data in big techs’ DNA-based business model. One that strikes the right balance between benefits and risks," Carstens said in a speech. Reporting by Huw Jones; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Consumers to face 20,000 pound limit on digital pound, Bank of England says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - British consumers would be limited to holding a maximum of 20,000 pounds ($24,000) each if the Bank of England goes ahead with a digital version of the British currency, BoE Deputy Governor Jon Cunliffe said on Tuesday. Britain's government said on Monday that it and the BoE were pressing on with work on a possible digital pound that was likely to enter circulation in the second half of this decade, though no final decision has been made on whether to go ahead. "We propose a limit of between 10,000 pounds and 20,000 pounds per individual as the appropriate balance between managing risks and supporting wide usability of the digital pound," Cunliffe said in a speech to members of UK Finance, a banking industry body. A limit of 10,000 pounds would mean that three quarters of people could receive their pay in digital pounds as well as holding pre-existing balances in the same account, while a 20,000 pound limit would allow almost everyone to use digital pounds for day-to-day transactions, Cunliffe said. ($1 = 0.8332 pounds)Reporting by Huw Jones, editing by David MillikenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Morning Bid: Market to ChatGPT: what's Powell gotta say?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] ChatGPT logo and rising stock graph are seen in this illustration taken, February 3, 2023. Google owner Alphabet (GOOGL.O) unveiled a rival to super popular ChatGPT, saying it will launch a chatbot service named 'Bard'. Asian shares held their ground while the rally in the U.S. dollar took a breather on Tuesday. Reuters GraphicsMeanwhile, a deadly earthquake killed more than 3,700 people across a swathe of Turkey and northwest Syria, sending Turkey's lira to a record low. Before Powell takes centre stage and hogs the limelight, Bank of England's Huw Pill is also due to speak and his comments on monetary policy will likely move markets.

☆ UK watchdog warns crypto firms to prepare for tougher rules on adverts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Britain's financial watchdog warned crypto businesses on Monday to get ready for tighter rules on advertising later in the year, warning that any breaches could mean up to two years in prison. "All cryptoasset firms marketing to UK consumers, including firms based overseas, will soon need to comply with the new UK financial promotions regime," the Financial Conduct Authority said in a statement. "Firms must start preparing now for this regime. We will take robust action against firms breaching these requirements." Reporting by Huw Jones, Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bank of England's Mann doubles down on backing for rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Gergely Szakacs | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

After hiking interest rates to 4% last week, the BoE's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) signalled it was close to pausing a run of increases which began in December 2021. Mann, consistently the most hawkish member of the MPC, said the risk of under-tightening policy far outweighed the alternative. "In my view, a tighten-stop-tighten-loosen policy boogie looks too much like fine-tuning to be good monetary policy. "From a risk-management point of view, monetary policy has to lean against these upside biases since wage and price inflation are still so high," she said. At the other end of the MPC spectrum, Dhingra and Tenreyro say over-tightening risked sending Britain's economy into an unnecessarily severe downturn, with the full force of the BoE's rate hikes yet to feed through.

☆ BoE's Pill says important not to raise interest rates too high
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Bank of England Chief Economist Huw Pill said on Friday it was important not to raise borrowing costs too high, a day after the British central bank signalled it was close to pausing a run of interest rate hikes which began in December 2021. "We have to recognise that we have done a lot with monetary policy already," Pill told Times Radio. On Thursday, the BoE raised interest rates to 4%, their highest since 2008, but it dropped language it previously used about its readiness to act "forcefully" if needed to contain inflation pressures. "Interest rates have risen by almost 400 basis points over ... little more than a year and, given the lags in the transmission of monetary policy, there's quite a lot of the effects of those raises in interest rates still to come through," Pill said. While the MPC was determined to "see the job through," Pill also said: "It's also important that we enguard against the possibility of doing too much."

☆ Morning bid: The morning after the night before
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dour fourth-quarter results from Apple (AAPL.O), Google-parent Alphabet (GOOGL.O) and Amazon (AMZN.O) are likely to cast a shadow on the markets on Friday before the crucial non-farms payroll data is released later in the day. Analysts expect 185,000 jobs were added last month and the report will likely paint a clearer picture of the labour market in the United States. The meltdown in share prices have stoked fears of wider impact on the Indian equities. A bright spot for the market was a private sector survey that showed China's services activity in January expanded for the first time in five months, sending business confidence to near 12-year highs. Even amidst the dire earnings reports from U.S. bellwethers there was a hint of hope that consumer spending was beginning to rebound in China.

☆ Asset managers, banks call on EU to cost plans to grab euro clearing from London
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Asset managers, hedge funds and banks on Thursday called on the European Union to properly cost its plans to force market participants to shift derivatives clearing business from London to mandatory accounts in the bloc. London Stock Exchange Group's LCH and ICE in London have long dominated parts of the euro derivatives market, but the EU wants direct say over this activity measured in trillions of euros to ensure financial stability after Britain's departure from the EU. The cross-industry call in a joint statement said the proposals to bolster euro denominated derivatives clearing in the EU would damage the bloc's capital market. Derivatives industry bodies ISDA and FIA, hedge fund and alternative investments association AIMA, and EFAMA, which represents the EU's asset management industry, said the plans would be costly to implement. A strategy based on organic growth and market-driven solutions would best support the competitiveness of EU clearing houses in a global clearing marketplace, they added.

☆ Brokers team up on new platform to boost retail interest in UK capital markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Investment firms and brokers in Britain teamed up on Thursday to back a new standalone retail platform to strengthen access for small investors to the UK capital market. "The collaboration of market participants using this service is an important step towards the more equitable inclusion of retail investors in UK capital markets," said a joint statement from brokers. One aim is to make it easier for retail investors to participate in capital markets, a step the European Union is also working on, with legislative proposals due in April. The government has said it will implement recommendations from a review of secondary capital markets to overhaul company fundraisings and give more access to retail investors. REX enables retail investors to participate in capital markets transactions such as initial public offers and follow-on equity offerings through retail brokers and wealth managers.

☆ UK watchdog proposes banning referral fees for debt advice firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Britain's financial watchdog said on Thursday it proposes to ban firms who give advice on debt from receiving referral fees from other related firms in the sector, citing an acute conflict of interest which can harm customers. It has estimated that around 52,000 of the 1.7 million people who seek debt advice every year begin with a debt packager, a figure which has likely increased due to the cost of living crisis. Debt packagers are regulated providers of debt advice, who refer indebted customers to debt solution providers - in return for a referral fee - which make formal arrangements to repay debt. Firms representing two-thirds of the market in customer numbers have either left or suspended their activities since the FCA first raised concerns in July 2021, the watchdog added. The FCA said it also proposes to clarify how unauthorised businesses, who source potential customers and recommend a particular debt solution provider to them for advice, may need to be authorised by the watchdog.

☆ BoE set to lift rates to 14-year high, might hint at next moves
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( William Schomberg | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The European Central Bank looks set to raise rates by a half a percentage point on Thursday to 2.5% and the main question for investors is how much more tightening it will signal. LOWER RATES PEAKAs of Wednesday, investors were pricing a roughly two-in-three chance that BoE rates will peak at 4.5% by June, with the possibility of an earlier halt at 4.25%. The BoE's inflation forecasts are also likely to change with recent sharp falls in international gas prices and a rise in the value of sterling lowering inflation later this year. The BoE is also due to update its estimate of the rate of unemployment that does not push up inflation. A rise in the non-accelerating inflation rate of unemployment would represent a lower speed limit on Britain's already slow economy.

☆ Britain's finance ministry sets out draft rules to regulate cryptoassets
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Britain's finance ministry set out draft rules to regulate cryptoassets on Wednesday, saying ongoing turbulence in the sector and the collapse of exchange FTX highlighted risks that need addressing. "Our view is that this reinforces the case for clear, effective, timely regulation and proactive engagement with industry," Financial Services Minister Andrew Griffith said in proposals put out to public consultation. "This includes a proposal to bring centralised cryptoasset exchanges into financial services regulation for the first time, as well as other core activities like custody and lending," Griffith added. After the three-month consultation, there will be secondary legislation later this year along with detailed rule proposals for public consultation from the Financial Conduct Authority. HMT crypto graphicReporting by Huw Jones; editing by Jason Neely and Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bank of England to toughen up rules for liability-driven funds
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LDI funds have been used by pension schemes to ensure they can meet payouts to pensioners in future years. Yields on the government bonds or "gilts" held by LDI funds rocketed, and the funds struggled to meet urgent collateral calls to cover the fall in bond prices. The Pensions Regulator, which regulates pension schemes, and the Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates managers of LDI funds may have additional requirements, she said. Regulators in Luxembourg and Dublin, where LDI funds are listed, will also have their own requirements. The "complete absence" of data on leverage in LDI funds will also be addressed, she added.

☆ Britain's first crypto regulations to set 'robust' standards
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File PhotoLONDON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Britain's finance ministry plans "robust" regulations for crypto assets, following the collapse of crypto exchange FTX last year, which left millions of people nursing billions of dollars in losses. Crypto is currently unregulated globally, with firms only having to carry out checks to prevent money laundering. "These proposals will place responsibility on crypto trading venues for defining the detailed content requirements for admission and disclosure documents - ensuring crypto exchanges have fair and robust standards," the ministry said. Regulators are focusing on prising open "crypto conglomerates" which combine activities like trading, lending and custody under one roof, but with traditional regulatory safeguards between them absent. The European Union is already finalising its first set of crypto rules.

☆ Britain to shake up private pensions with value for money test
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Britain said on Monday it will launch a public consultation on new rules requiring higher disclosure standards from private pensions schemes to give savers better value for money and prevent providers from "gaming the system". Pensions minister Laura Trott said the shake-up of private pensions will also include reform of the charge cap on a company's "default" defined contribution (DC) pension schemes that employees are offered or auto-enrolled in. DC pension schemes' performance is tied to swings in stock and bond markets. "Being in an underperforming pension scheme can lead to someone missing out on thousands of pounds." They would have to provide comparisons with at least three other schemes to prevent providers from choosing underperforming schemes for comparison purposes.

☆ ECB rejects banking sector call for lower capital to boost lending
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Pascal RossignolLONDON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank (ECB) on Friday rejected calls from Europe's banks to ease capital rules to boost lending and put them on an equal footing with U.S. rivals. "Policymakers should redouble their efforts to complete the banking and capital markets unions," the report said, referring to EU projects to deepen its capital market and create a more competitive cross-border banking market. "The largest global European banks have even slightly lower requirements than their counterparts across the Atlantic," an ECB spokesperson said. "It is also questionable that lower capital requirements would lead to higher lending: what is proven is that low levels of capital lead banks to abruptly reduce lending in a crisis, thus deepening the adverse impact on the economy," the ECB said. The EU is finalising the remaining leg of global bank capital rules that were written in response to the financial crisis, with temporary waivers from some elements in the teeth of ECB opposition.

☆ Ease capital rules on EU banks to boost lending, banking industry says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Banking regulation is internationally coordinated by regulators, but differences remain in how the rules work in practice, and how they are implemented, the report said. EBF Graphic 2The report said the difference in regulatory-induced costs at EU banks compared with their U.S. peers can explain 0.8-1.0 percentage points of a gap in return on equity, which is a measure of profitability. "Policymakers should redouble their efforts to complete the banking and capital markets unions," the report said, referring to EU projects to deepen its capital market and create a more competitive cross-border banking market. Banks now hold more capital after being bailed out by taxpayers in the 2008 financial crisis. The EU is finalising the remaining leg of global bank capital rules that were written in response to the financial crisis, with temporary waivers from some elements.

Inflation data improved too, as growth in personal consumption expenditures slowed to 2.1% year over year from 2.3% in the prior quarter while the GDP price index, another inflation measure, decelerated to 3.5%. MSCI's all-country world index, a gauge of stocks in 47 countries, (.MIWD00000PUS) rose 0.62% to hit a fresh five-month high, while the dollar index rose 0.325%. "What Powell has pushed back on a lot is to not really think about lowering rates at all," Ragan said. "But they are willing to pause and hold rates at a high level for a certain period of time." The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) rose 0.31%, the S&P 500 (.SPX) gained 0.70% and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) added 1.24%.

MSCI's all-country world index, a gauge of stocks in 47 countries, (.MIWD00000PUS) was up 0.18% after paring gains after hitting a fresh five-month high. The dollar index rose 0.512%. The largely better-than-expected data can help the weakening dollar find a near-term floor, said Joe Manimbo, senior market analyst at Convera in Washington. "On balance, the data being better than expected suggests there's more resilience in the economy than many have given it credit," he said. Oil prices rose more than 1% on Thursday on expectations demand will strengthen as top oil importer China reopens its economy and on positive U.S. economic data.

☆ Industry body clarifies what happens when crypto derivatives crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - An industry body set out a global framework on Thursday for trading derivatives linked to cryptoassets to avoid FTX-style collapses sowing confusion over ownership. The International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) published guidance for trading digital asset derivatives to clarify what happens when things go wrong in an underlying market, such as the collapse of crypto exchange FTX. While most of the recent problems have occurred in the spot cryptocurrency market, many of the legal uncertainties could affect digital asset derivatives too. It will now include the body's first standard documentation for trading digital asset derivatives, initially covering non-deliverable forwards and options on Bitcoin and Ether. It could be expanded in future to cover additional product types, including tokenized securities and other digital assets executed on distributed ledger technology (DLT), ISDA said.

☆ Hopes of slowdown in rate hikes bolster shares ahead of U.S. GDP
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Oil prices were steady after U.S. crude stocks rose less than expected, while gold hit a 9-month peak. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) climbed 1.1% and was set for its fifth straight day of gains. The report could mark the last quarter of solid growth before the lagged effects of the Fed's jumbo rate hikes kick in. Oil prices were steady after U.S. crude stocks rose less than expected. Gold prices touched a nine-month high, with spot gold at $1,941 per ounce, after hitting $1,949.09 earlier in the day.

☆ British banking damaged by slow supervisors warns industry report
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] People walk over the Millennium Bridge with the City of London financial district in the background, in London, Britain, January 13, 2023. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/File PhotoLONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Britain's regulators can be slow, inefficient and unpredictable, raising costs and slowly damaging the financial sector's global competitiveness, industry body TheCityUK said in a report. Complex, opaque and slow authorisations, such as for a new chief executive or a new product, can discourage growth and investment, the report published on Thursday said. It said The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Bank of England's Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) were taking steps to speed up authorisations, but further action was needed. The Bank of England said it recognised the need to improve the timeliness of approving senior managers in particular and was taking steps in line with many of the recommendations.

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