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☆ Colombia proposes 502.6 trillion pesos 2024 budget
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BOGOTA, July 29 (Reuters) - Colombia's government on Saturday presented a budget proposal worth 502.6 trillion pesos ($127.8 billion) for 2024 to Congress, 19% greater than this year, the Finance Ministry said, an amount that would be the country's highest if approved. The proposal includes spending 94.52 trillion pesos for servicing debt, and 97.75 trillion pesos for investment. "The 2024 budget is realistic," the finance ministry said in a statement. Government ministers worked through Thursday night to finish the proposal, President Gustavo Petro said on Friday in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. The proposed budget earmarks 70.5 trillion pesos for education, health, drinking water and other general purposes, and some 57.4 trillion pesos would fund the state pension system.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Colombia's, Nelson Bocanegra, Julia Cobb Symmes, Oliver Griffin, Sandra Maler Organizations: Finance Ministry, Twitter, Congress, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA

☆ UK lawmakers launch inquiry into sexism in finance
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, July 14 (Reuters) - British lawmakers have launched a fresh inquiry into sexism in the country's finance industry, parliament's influential Treasury committee said in a statement on Friday. The inquiry will assess issues including progress made in removing gender pay gaps, how best to support diversity and combating sexual harassment and misogyny, the committee said. The move comes amid renewed scrutiny of sexual misconduct in finance, after hedge fund founder Crispin Odey was ousted from his firm in June after allegations of sexual misconduct jointly reported by the Financial Times and Tortoise Media. The average gender pay gap across 20 of the biggest finance employers was 30.1% in favour of men in 2022, a Reuters analysis in April showed, compared to the UK average of 8.3%. This is a subject of marked importance to our Committee and we look forward to beginning work on this important topic," said Harriett Baldwin, chair of the Treasury committee.

Persons: Crispin Odey, Odey, Harriett Baldwin, Iain Withers, Josie Kao Organizations: Financial Times, Tortoise Media, Treasury, Thomson

☆ Singapore names Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as chairman of the central bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Monetary Authority of Singapore, the city-state's financial regulator and central bank, has named Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as chairman of its board of directors effective July 8. Wong, who is the country's finance minister, will replace Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who held the role for 12 years since May 2011, the release said. Wong, who was deputy chairman of MAS since June 2021, will serve as chairman until May 31, 2026, according to the press release. He previously served as a member of the MAS Board from June 2011 to August 2016. Singapore's Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong will be appointed deputy chairman of the MAS Board for the same period, from July 8 to May 31, 2026.

Persons: Lawrence Wong, Wong, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Shanmugaratnam, Industry Gan Kim Yong Organizations: Monetary Authority of, MAS, Singapore's, Trade, Industry, MAS Board, CNBC Locations: Monetary Authority of Singapore, Singapore

☆ Russian companies doubled their revenues to $15 trillion last year because the energy market did so well — but that doesn't mean they're reaping massive profits
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

But it's not all good news for Russian companies: Due to sanctions, their profits grew just 6% on-year. That's nearly double the 655 trillion rubles Russian companies made in 2021, per the tax service department's statistics. In particular, Russian energy giant Gazprom posted record profits in the first half of 2022, prompting Moscow to impose windfall taxes on the company. Russia's energy revenues have also been hit heavily by restrictions against its exports, particularly after the European Union — a major customer of Russian energy — banned Russian crude oil starting December 5. In the first quarter of 2023, Russia posted a deficit of almost 2.4 trillion rubles — sharply reversing a surplus of more than 1 trillion rubles in the first quarter of 2022.

Persons: That's, it's, —, Andrei Belousov Organizations: Service, RBC, Gazprom, European Union, RBC TV Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow

☆ Afghanistan's Taliban needs money so badly they are selling tickets to monuments their own fighters smashed to pieces: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Afghanistan is selling tickets to the ruins of recently-destroyed monuments, the Washington Post reported. Tickets to see the cavernous remains of the Bamiyan Buddhas, in the Hazarajat region, are sold to locals for 57 cents and $3.45 to foreigners, the paper reported. L: One of the Bamiyan Buddhas in 1997. But some Afghan officials believe that sites like Bamiyan still have potential to bring in significant tourist money, despite the loss of the Buddhas. Mohammedi is planning a souvenir market nearby, The Washington Post reported.

Persons: —, Sayed Salahuddin, Bamiyan, Saifurrahman Mohammadi, we've Organizations: Washington Post, Service, Slate, American, Taliban, Sayed Salahuddin AS, Reuters, CNN, UN, Financial Times, The Washington Post Locations: Afghanistan, Hazarajat, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, The

☆ Russia has lost so much money due to the Ukraine war that it's now trying to raise $4 billion by slapping a windfall tax on its oligarchs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia will slap windfall taxes on large companies making over 1 billion rubles in profits since 2021. Russia approved a draft bill to slap up to a 10% one-off windfall tax on large Russian companies, according to a Tuesday announcement by the country's finance ministry. "They understand that they had huge windfall profits for 2021 and 2022, simply massive, bigger than the budget," Belousov said, per Interfax. This instance isn't the first time Russia's imposing windfall taxes to fund the war in Ukraine. Russia's energy revenues have also been majorly hit by sweeping restrictions against its exports, particularly after the European Union — a major customer of Russian energy — banned Russian crude oil starting December 5.

Persons: —, It's, Andrei Belousov, Belousov, Timur Nigmatullin Organizations: RBC TV, Service, RBC, Financial Times, Gazprom, European Union Locations: Russia, Ukraine

ISLAMABAD, June 10 (Reuters) - Pakistan is working on the possibility of restructuring its bilateral debt regardless of whether it successfully completes its IMF review, the country's finance minister said on Saturday, but reiterated it would not approach Paris club nation creditors or seek haircuts. The country is grappling with record inflation, fiscal imbalances and critical levels of reserves that cover barely a month worth of imports. The fiscal deficit for the following fiscal year was projected at 6.54% of GDP, according to the budget. Dar said on Saturday there was no more room in the budget to reduce the fiscal deficit target by any further. The government has received commitments of only $4 billion, mainly from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Persons: Ishaq Dar, Dar, Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, Shahid, Charlotte Greenfield, Michael Perry, William Mallard, Frances Kerry Organizations: IMF, Pakistan's IMF, United, United Arab Emirates, Thomson Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Paris, Pakistan's, China, Saudi Arabia, United Arab

☆ Dollar sags versus yen after Japan warning; Aussie slides on China data
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Japanese 10,000 yen and U.S. 100 dollar banknotes are arranged for a photograph in Tokyo, Japan, on Sept. 7, 2017. The dollar languished below the psychological 140 yen level on Wednesday after getting knocked back from a six-month high after Japanese officials met on Tuesday to discuss their currency. The Aussie was last down 0.15% at $0.6507, heading back toward last week's 6 1/2-month low of $0.6490. The New Zealand dollar sank as much as 0.5% to a 6 1/2-month trough at $0.60125. Against the Chinese yuan, the U.S. dollar climbed as much as 0.38% to 7.1171 for the first time since Nov. 30.

Persons: Rodrigo Catril, Bart Wakabayashi, Sterling Organizations: Australian, National Australia Bank, Reserve Bank of Australia, New Zealand, U.S, State Locations: Tokyo, Japan, China, United States, Tuesday's

[1/2] Japanese Yen and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken March 10, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationLONDON/SINGAPORE, May 30 (Reuters) - The yen strengthened on Tuesday on news of a meeting of Japan's finance ministry and central bank, while elsewhere the dollar rose to a two-month high against a basket of its peers after the U.S. debt ceiling deal. The dollar was last down 0.18% against the Japanese yen at 140.18 after the country's finance ministry said senior officials from the Ministry of Finance, Bank of Japan and Financial Services Agency will meet from 5:30 p.m. (0830 GMT). Japanese central bank policy has been a major focus for investors in the past year after the BOJ last year intervened to strengthen the yen. Kenneth Broux, head of corporate research for FX and rates at Societe Generale, said FX intervention at current levels was unlikely.

☆ IMF official says Sri Lanka reforms critical, evaluating progress
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Uditha Jayasinghe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

COLOMBO, May 15 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission in Sri Lanka will evaluate progress made on reforms so far and complete an exercise to improve governance in key areas of the economy, an IMF official said on Monday. An IMF team is in Colombo until May 23 as part of regular consultations ahead of the first review mission later this year. "It is now essential to continue the reform momentum," said Krishna Srinivasan, Director of Asia Pacific Department at IMF. Sri Lanka, with the help of a $2.9 billion bailout from the global lender, is trying to recover from its worst financial crisis since gaining independence in 1948 and turn around its battered economy. Peter Breuer, IMF Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka, Asia and Pacific Department said the lender will be looking at whether the government's macro framework is still appropriate or whether it requires revisions.

Ahead of an election on May 21, a cost-of-living crisis that is eroding earnings is foremost in voters' minds. For Klaoudatou it means voting for anyone but the incumbent conservative New Democracy or the opposition leftist Syriza. Reuters GraphicsThree international bailouts saved Greece from toppling out of the euro zone during a decade-long debt crisis that peaked in 2015. "Εven during the crisis - and this is the joke - I didn't think so much before spending a single extra euro," Klaoudatou told Reuters. Reuters GraphicsPAYCHECK BARELY GETS TO PAYCHECKOne in two Greek households could barely get by on their monthly income last year.

☆ Philippines' finance minister says no reason for rate hike
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANILA, May 15 (Reuters) - The Philippine central bank has no reason to raise interest rates further as domestic inflation is easing, the country's finance minister said ahead of a May 18 monetary policy meeting. Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno reiterated his stance against a rate hike when he spoke to reporters. "I'm for a pause, that's my opinion. "So over all, there's no reason why we should increase the rates." Some economists believe the inflation downtrend and cooling economic growth have built the case for the BSP to pause in its tightening cycle.

☆ Ecuador launches debt buyback plan aimed at Galapagos protection
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] A pelican is seen on Santa Cruz Island, part of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. REUTERS/Santiago ArcosLONDON, April 26 (Reuters) - Ecuador has launched a long-awaited debt buyback plan that will free up money to protect its Galapagos Islands, one of the world's most precious ecosystems and the inspiration for Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution. "The Offeror is making the Offer... as part of a broader refinancing operation to channel savings and promote certain conservation and sustainability efforts," the buyback plan said. The operation is private, the country's finance ministry said in a message to journalists, and cannot be discussed. Reporting by Marc Jones; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pakistan's finance minister opposes snap polls mandated by top court
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Asif Shahzad | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ISLAMABAD, April 10 (Reuters) - Provincial snap elections are not in Pakistan's national interest given its economic turmoil and security situation, the country's finance minister said on Monday, in defiance of an order by the country's supreme court. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday put forward a financial bill to seek a vote on whether to approve the election funding. "The country's economic, security and internal conditions demand that snap polls aren't in the national interest," he said in a televised speech to parliament. He suggested holding the elections together in all provinces and national seats, saying that would reduce logistics and security expenses. ($1 = 286.2500 Pakistani rupees)Reporting by Asif Shahzad; editing by John Stonestreet and Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

LUSAKA, April 6 (Reuters) - Zambia is being "punished" for a failure to complete debt restructuring that is not its fault, but its two main creditors, China and international bondholders, both want a resolution, the country's finance minister told Reuters. Zambia was the first African country to default in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic battered the global economy. Many Western officials have blamed delays in agreeing the debt relief on the largest bilateral creditor, China, something it denies. "The Chinese are asking questions, the bondholders are also asking questions ... but constructive questions, so that's no problem," Musokotwane said. Bondholders say they want a resolution to this, the Chinese say they want a resolution to this."

☆ It's really hard for foreign companies to break up with Russia — and there are 3 main reasons why
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

One year after Russia invaded Ukraine, just 520 firms have fully exited Russia, per a Yale study. Quite simply, it's just not that straightforward for a company to get out of Russia right now — and there are three main reasons why. Companies have been trying to exit Russia in an orderly fashionMany companies were quick to announce their intent to leave the Russian market after it invaded Ukraine. Thus, companies that want to exit Russia are pressed to find buyers for their Russian operations who would continue running the business under a different brand. Multinational companies face operation challenges in their exitsBecause many foreign companies operating in Russia are multinationals, shutting operations in the country can have a domino effect on their businesses elsewhere.

☆ Egypt's cenbank raises interest rates by 200 bps to tame inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 30 (Reuters) - The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) raised its overnight interest rates by 200 basis points (bps) on Thursday following a meeting of its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), saying it aimed to bring high inflation into check. The bank set the lending rate at 19.25% and the deposit rate at 18.25%. The median forecast in a Reuters poll of 15 analysts on Monday was for the bank to increase rates by 200 bps as it struggled to control surging inflation. In February, headline inflation soared to a five-and-a-half-year high of 31.9% from 25.8% in January. "Real GDP growth is expected to soften in fiscal year 2022/23 compared to the previous fiscal year, before picking up thereafter."

☆ Russia is forcing Western companies exiting its market to make a donation to the country — and it's making it harder for them to leave
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Foreign investors exiting Russia must donate at least 10% of the sale proceeds of their assets to the state. Russia witnessed an exodus of companies it invaded Ukraine, but some have remained — either voluntarily or due to challenges in leaving the Russian market. About 550 foreign companies are still actively operating in the country, according to Yale's list. These options are not available to every company — especially since there would be fewer potential buyers in the first place due to sweeping sanctions against Russia, according to Estrin and Meyer. Over 2,000 companies are seeking approval to exit the Russian market, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing a person involved in an exit negotiation.

☆ Analysis: Pressure builds on Egypt to devalue currency further
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Patrick Werr | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Egypt has sharply devalued the currency three times since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 exposed vulnerabilities in the country's finances. But with each devaluation the central bank aimed to keep the currency steady afterwards, only for the black market and non-deliverable forwards to quickly push beyond the new rate. "No time like the present to align foreign exchange rates with fundamentals," Urmossy said, adding that the March 30 policy announcement was "one of the most anticipated events in the African Frontier space." And the black market shows the hard currency shortage that has plagued Egypt for more than a year persists. "Demand for foreign exchange continues to outstrip supply, providing the conditions for the parallel market to grow," said Farouk Soussa of Goldman Sachs.

☆ Swiss sight deposits jump, suggesting Credit Suisse, UBS took emergency liquidity
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A logo is pictured on the Credit Suisse bank in Geneva, Switzerland, March 15, 2023. Sight deposits - cash held by the SNB for commercial banks overnight - jumped to 567 billion Swiss francs ($619 billion) from 515 billion francs a week earlier. Last week's rise indicates that both UBS and Credit Suisse may have used some of the 200 billion francs in extra liquidity offered by the SNB as part of a state-sponsored rescue of Credit Suisse. UBS agreed to buy Credit Suisse for 3 billion Swiss francs in stock in a merger engineered to avoid more market-shaking turmoil in global banking. Credit Suisse had already said it would take 50 billion francs from the SNB under its emergency liquidity assistance (ELA) facility before the UBS takeover.

☆ Scotland's next leader to be announced with independence movement in crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Scotland's Health Minister Humza Yousaf and Scotland's Finance Minister Kate Forbes, contenders to become the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and Scotland's First Minister, attend the SNP leadership hustings, in Aberdeen, Scotland, Britain, March 12, 2023. REUTERS/Craig Brough/PoolLONDON, March 27 (Reuters) - The next leader of Scotland will be announced on Monday with the victor facing the challenge of uniting a country divided over its future and revitalising an independence movement that dreams of ending its three-centuries-long union with England. The Scottish National Party (SNP), which runs Scotland's semi-autonomous government, has been plunged into crisis since Nicola Sturgeon, the country's longest-serving leader, announced last month she was standing down after eight years, saying she had become too divisive to lead the nation to independence. Britain's vote to leave the European Union two years later when a majority of Scots wanted to stay, and Scotland's handling of the coronavirus pandemic brought new support for independence. However, an opinion poll showed the backing for independence dropped to 39% this month after touching a record 58% in 2020.

☆ Credit Suisse accessed billions in liquidity last weekend, Swiss finance minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ZURICH, March 25 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) tapped the Swiss National Bank for "a large multi-billion amount" last weekend to secure its liquidity, the country's finance minister Karin Keller-Sutter told Swiss broadcaster SRF on Saturday. The troubled Swiss bank had said last week it intended to borrow up to 50 billion Swiss francs from the country's central bank to boost its liquidity. "Last weekend, a large multi-billion amount was withdrawn by Credit Suisse for liquidity protection," Keller-Sutter said. Keller-Sutter said "it is to be assumed" that the figure was above 50 billion Swiss francs ($54.35 billion), but said the Swiss National Bank had the exact number. Last Sunday, UBS (UBSG.S) agreed to buy its rival Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) for 3 billion Swiss francs in stock and agreed to assume up to 5 billion francs in losses in a merger engineered by Swiss authorities to prevent more market turmoil in global banking.

☆ Nikki Haley's road to the White House will be difficult, but she has a key polling advantage her rivals lack.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Nikki Haley faces a number of challenges — namely Donald Trump — as she runs for the White House. But the former governor still has the potential to overcome her current standing as the Republican primary season heats up. And if it works, she could position herself as a forward-thinking leader who can move the GOP past the tumult of the 2020 presidential election. And in a mid-March Morning Consult poll, Haley's favorability among GOP voters sat at 47%, while only 16% had an unfavorable view of her; roughly 1 in 5 respondents said they were unfamiliar with the ex-governor. AP Photo/Alex BrandonA push to move beyond the 2020 electionSince November 2020, Trump has continued to question his election loss, alleging voter fraud despite no evidence of widespread malfeasance.

☆ Analysis: China paves Sri Lanka's way to IMF funds, but debt talks remain uncertain
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Jorgelina Do Rosario | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Cash-strapped nations such as Zambia and Ghana are also facing talks on reworking debt with Chinese lenders, and Sri Lanka's negotiations showed that international efforts to standardize some debt rework parameters are failing. China is the biggest bilateral creditor to Sri Lanka, which defaulted on its international debt last year. Sri Lanka owed China's EXIM $4.1 billion, or 11% of the country's foreign currency debt, at the end of 2022, according to government data. Reuters GraphicsBOARD APPROVAL VS DEBT DEALAn executive board approval unlocks IMF financing, though it doesn't necessarily mean it will expedite debt talks. Once the executive board approval is secured, the IMF will publish Sri Lanka's debt sustainability analysis.

☆ Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has quietly stashed $90 billion into investments over the last 3 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Berkshire Hathaway's latest annual report illustrates that the company has deployed nearly $90 billion in investments since 2020. In 2020, Buffett and co. had spent a then-unprecedented $25 billion on stock buybacks, and set a new record of $27 billion in 2021. But even after all that, Berkshire still ended last year with $129 billion in cash and short-term investments. Fundstrat expects the stock market to see its strongest rally of the year soon. Avoiding a recession would actually be bad news for the stock market.

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