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☆ Wall Street style guide: Bankers break down what interns should — and should not — wear this summer, from Lululemon trousers to Allbird sneakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Emmalyse Brownstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

From Allbirds sneakers to Lululemon pants, Wall Street work attire has gotten more casual. It's an awkward time for the Wall Street wardrobe. Trying to nail the modern Wall Street look can be intimidating. But blazers still have a place on Wall Street, even if they're not as omnipresent as they once were. "If you're going to do a sneaker, it's got to be what I call a 'fashion sneaker.'

☆ UBS announces Credit Suisse CEO Koerner to join board after emergency rescue
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

UBS on Tuesday announced that Credit Suisse CEO Ulrich Koerner will join the executive board of the new joint entity once its emergency purchase of the stricken bank completes. The Credit Suisse brand will operate independently for the "foreseeable future" as UBS integrates the business in a "phased approach," the bank said in a statement. Swiss authorities brokered the controversial emergency rescue of Credit Suisse by UBS for 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.37 billion) over the course of a weekend in March, as a crisis of confidence among depositors and shareholders threatened to topple the 167-year-old institution. UBS confirmed that it will initially manage the two separate companies upon the closure of the deal, with each institution continuing to operate its own subsidiaries and branches while the UBS board of directors and executive board will hold overall responsibility for the consolidated group. Koerner, who took over the ailing Credit Suisse in July 2022 and immediately launched a massive strategic overhaul aimed at reversing the bank's chronic loss-making and risk management failures, will join the board, UBS confirmed.

☆ UBS says Credit Suisse CEO Ulrich Koerner will join its board
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Besides Körner, who spent over a decade at UBS before returning to Credit Suisse in 2021, UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti largely leaned on UBS executives in pulling together his new team. Some media had speculated that a number of Credit Suisse bankers would take up senior roles at the new group. Credit Suisse executive board members will report to both their relevant UBS executive board member and Körner. “This is a pivotal moment for UBS, Credit Suisse and the entire banking industry,” Ermotti said in the statement Tuesday. Zuercher Kantonalbank said this meant there would be initially no big changes for the current Credit Suisse management.

☆ Citi appoints new North Africa, Levant and Central Asia head
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

DUBAI, May 8 (Reuters) - Banking group Citi has appointed Omar Hafeez as head of its North Africa, Levant and Central Asia operations based in Dubai after a reorganisation of the company's MENA region, it said on Monday. Hafeez transfers from Japan, where he was head of the corporate banking business, the third largest for Citi globally. The North Africa, Levant and Central Asia sub-cluster consists of Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Israel, Citi said. Reproting by Yousef Saba Writing by Lisa Barrington Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Banks ask SEC to stop short-seller attacks on their stocks driven by social-media speculation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A leading banking group called for the SEC to do more to stop speculative short selling in bank stocks. The American Banking Section said social-media speculation about banks was disconnected from their financial reality. "ABA is, however, unalterably opposed to short selling practices that distort the markets through manipulation and abuse," he said. Nichols called for the SEC to take a clearer stance against what he called market manipulation and abusive short selling practices. "The harm caused by short selling that runs counter to economic fundamentals ultimately falls on small investors, who see value destroyed by others' predatory behavior."

ROME, May 5 (Reuters) - Italy's Treasury is open to reducing its 64% stake in Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) (BMPS.MI) through one or more share sales on the market, three people briefed on the matters told Reuters. After rescuing MPS at a cost of 5.4 billion euros ($6 billion) for taxpayers, Rome pumped another 1.6 billion into the Tuscan bank last November when it covered 64% of a 2.5 billion euro capital raise. MPS had to raise fresh capital to fund staff exits and replenish its capital reserves after the Treasury failed to clinch a sale of the bank to UniCredit (CRDI.MI) in 2021. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said several times that MPS's privatisation should foster the creation of several large banking groups in the country. ($1 = 0.9081 euros)Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte in Rome and Valentina Za in Milan; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Lenders wasted little time in charging more for loans when interest rates rapidly rose from an almost 15-year slumber around zero last year, but most have dragged their feet on boosting deposit rates paid to millions of their customers. Money market funds are proving popular among savers seeking bigger returns on their cash as high levels of inflation persist. Data from Refinitiv Lipper showed more than 34 billion euros ($37.6 billion) of net flows into European money market funds in March, the best-selling asset type that month. Fidelity International also reported an 8% year-on-year uplift in flows into money market funds on its investment platform between Jan. 1 and April 26. Some lawmakers have criticised banks for the mismatch between what they charge borrowers and the interest rates offered to savers.

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Western Alliance, Berkshire Hathaway, Wix & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"We are initiating coverage of ZI with a BUY rating and a $30 target as a rare value investment within software. Citi upgrades Deutsche Bank to buy from neutral Citi said the global investment bank is at an "attractive entry point." " Deutsche Bank is one of the most de-rated banks YTD, yet the 1Q23 results demonstrated potential for further consensus earnings upgrades." Rosenblatt reiterates Apple as buy Rosenblatt said it's standing by its buy rating heading into earnings on Thursday after the bell. " CFRA reiterates Berkshire Hathaway as hold CFRA said it's standing by its "fairly valued" hold rating heading into Berkshire earnings on Saturday.

☆ Analysts warn regional banks stocks are in a 'negative feedback loop' and detached from fundamentals
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The latest drop for regional bank shares is causing some Wall Street analysts to back away from their recommendations on the stocks, even if they still believe in the underlying fundamentals for the companies. Other regional banks also sold off, including a 19% drop for Western Alliance. The deposit update was not enough to reassure all Wall Street analysts about the health of regional banks, and there is concern that the drops in the stocks could reignite deposit flight. Meanwhile, RBC Capital Markets' analyst Jon Arfstrom stuck with his outperform rating on PacWest, but said only investors with strong stomachs should stick around. Western Alliance Another bank stock that has taken heavy loses in recent weeks is Western Alliance .

☆ Goldman Sachs is making a slew of leadership changes in its investment bank. See the key moves here.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Carter Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Goldman has internally announced a slew of leadership changes in its investment bank. Goldman's Aasem Khalil will take on Posnett's role as global head of investment banking services. A fresh face will now lead one of Wall Street's most powerful investment banking groups. She ultimately served as co-COO of TMT and head of Internet investment banking before being appointed head of investment banking services. Succeeding Posnett as head of global investment banking services is Aasem Khalil, a Goldman partner and 26-year veteran of the Wall Street bank.

May 3 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) has named Kim Posnett as the head of its global technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) investment banking group, according to an internal company memo. Posnett, who is currently the co-head of the One Goldman Sachs initiative at the bank, will continue to hold her existing responsibilities. The One Goldman Sachs initiative aims to integrate the bank's dealings with clients across teams. Posnett, who has also served as the global head of investment banking services at Goldman, is one of the few executives who spoke at the bank's investor day in February alongside its chief executive and finance head. In a separate memo sent out by Goldman's heads of global banking & markets, Ashok Varadhan, Dan Dees and Jim Esposito, Goldman also named Aasem Khalil as the new global head of its Investment Banking Services division.

☆ Meet Kim Posnett, the powerful Goldman Sachs dealmaker who was just named head of the investment bank's TMT unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Kim Posnett was just named head of Goldman's all-important TMT investment banking group. Posnett, 43, has long been one of the most senior figures at Goldman's investment bank. Posnett was previously the head of Goldman's investment-banking services unit, which acts as a salesforce for the global IB division. The former co-head of Goldman's TMT franchise will become co-chairman of the unit. The former would result in the IB services group, which functions, in effect, as a sales force.

While the Fed is widely expected to raise rates by 25 basis points at its policy rate announcement at 1800 GMT, the hopes of a pause in increases have grown after a banking crisis that has threatened to hurt economic growth. Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L) edged down 0.8% despite beating quarterly profit estimates, as the bellwether lender echoed rivals in maintaining its full-year forecasts. However, energy stocks (.FTNMX601010) were a drag, down 1.2%, tracking weakness in crude prices. Haleon (HLN.L) lost 3.8% as the world's biggest standalone consumer health business reported first-quarter profit below analyst expectations. Luxury carmaker Aston Martin Lagonda (AML.L) lost 2.2% after it reported a narrower quarterly pre-tax loss and maintained its 2023 outlook.

☆ HSBC stock jumps as Q1 profits triple and and it announces share buyback
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —HSBC announced it had tripled its quarterly profit Tuesday, blowing past expectations as it benefited from high interest rates around the world. Europe’s biggest bank recorded a whopping $12.9 billion in pre-tax profit for the quarter ended March. That was up 207% from a year earlier, and significantly higher than the $8.6 billion average predicted by a poll of 17 analysts compiled by HSBC. The bank’s revenue also surged to $20.2 billion, compared with $12.5 billion for the same period the previous year. HSBC (HSBC) attributed the jump in profits partly to a provisional sum of $1.5 billion it expects to gain from buying the UK unit of failed US lender, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB).

☆ Nordea Q1 profit tops forecast as interest rates rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HELSINKI, April 27 (Reuters) - The Nordic region's biggest lender Nordea (NDAFI.HE) posted a larger than expected gain in first-quarter operating profits on Thursday, on the back of rising interest rates and despite weaker Nordic currencies. The rise in results followed a similar trend among other Nordic banks such as Swedish rival SEB (SEBa.ST), which on Wednesday beat market expectations and reported higher net interest income. The bank saw its net fee and commission income decline 8% year on year to 765 million euros. Net interest income climbed 35% to 1.77 billion euros. Nordea said individual net loan losses remained low despite the Nordic economies slowing and kept its management judgement buffer unchanged at 585 million euros.

MILAN, April 26 (Reuters) - Italian unlisted cooperative banking group ICCREA is awaiting by the end of May offers for its insurance business which it values at up to 950 million euros ($1.05 billion) in total, sources with knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday. ICCREA bought out its partner Cattolica, an Italian insurer now owned by bigger peer Generali (GASI.MI), after their accord expired at the end of last year and was not renewed, the three sources said. Cattolica and ICCREA had agreed in 2019 to extend until the end of 2022 their partnership under a deal that saw Cattolica raise to 70% its ownership of their insurance joint-ventures BCC Vita and BCC Assicurazioni. Now in possession of 100% of its insurance business, ICCREA is working with adviser KPMG to select new partners for both its life- and non-life divisions, the sources said. ICCREA Director General Mauro Pastore said in February the bank expected to select one or more partners for its insurance business by the end of the year.

☆ Italy's FSI invests up to $110 million in debit card operator BANCOMAT
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, April 26 (Reuters) - Italian investment fund FSI has agreed to invest up to 100 million euros ($110 million) in debit card operator BANCOMAT to support its expansion in Europe. Under a new business plan drawn up by the company, its main shareholders and FSI, BANCOMAT will complete targeted acquisitions and build a new platform to offer clients a wider range of services and products. In early 2022, it invested in the payments business of cooperative banking group BCC ICCREA, acquiring a 60% stake in electronic payment company BCC Pay. The payments sector has been swept up in a wave of mergers and acquisitions as it seeks the financial muscle to keep up with technological advances while contending with the threat from new entrants. The accord comes after FSI last year signed a preliminary deal for an investment in BANCOMAT.

Bischoff died on Tuesday of natural causes, a close relative, who asked not to be named, told Reuters on Wednesday. A former chairman of Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L), Citigroup (C.N) and more recently JP Morgan Securities (JPM.N), Bischoff had also been CEO of Schroders (SDR.L). Robert Swannell, former chairman of Marks & Spencer, who worked with Bischoff for 33 years at Schroders and later Citi, said he would profoundly mourn his friend and colleague. The deal was hailed as a huge success for Bischoff's leadership team, having started with a business worth just a fraction of the 1.3 billion pounds price Citi later paid. He returned to JP Morgan as chairman of JP Morgan Securities the same year.

☆ Sale of Italy's MPS should help create several big banks, says Meloni
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Monte dei Paschi (MPS), of which the government owns 64% following a 2017 bailout, is seen playing a pivotal role in the consolidation expected among Italy's mid-sized lenders. After failing to clinch a sale of MPS to UniCredit (CRDI.MI) in 2021, the government is expected to seek another bank interested in buying its stake in the Tuscan lender. The government has just decided to renew Luigi Lovaglio's mandate as MPS chief executive for another term. We confirmed Lovaglio at the helm of Monte dei Paschi, the CEO successfully led the last capital increase, and now we must work to bring Monte back to the private market," Meloni said. "The government will not intervene, it is alert to check that there are no situations that jeopardise the national interest," Meloni told the newspaper.

☆ Here are the top 15 companies to work for in Singapore, according to LinkedIn — most are new on the list
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The list of top companies in Singapore sees a huge reshuffle this year, which is a testament to "Singapore's strong business ecosystem," according to LinkedIn. LinkedIn has released its annual list of top companies in Singapore to work for — and banking and information technology companies dominated the 2023 list. The list of top companies also saw a huge reshuffle this year, which is a testament to "Singapore's strong business ecosystem," according to the professional networking platform. The banking and finance sector in particular, saw 4 companies in the top 5 on the "LinkedIn Top Companies 2023″ for Singapore. It provides financial products and banking services to individuals, corporations, governments, investors and institutions.

☆ US regulator orders Goldman Sachs to pay $15 mln for violations of swap business standards
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, April 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission ordered banking group Goldman Sachs (GS.N) to pay $15 million for violations of swap business conduct standards, the agency said in a statement on Monday. The CFTC said it found that Goldman failed to disclose dozens of pre-trade mid-market marks and also failed to communicate to clients in a fair and balanced manner based on principles of fair dealing and good faith, in violation of regulations. Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ No Ivy League degree? No problem: This Wall Street vet climbed his way up the ranks of Goldman Sachs after graduating from SUNY Albany
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Emmalyse Brownstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Ask anyone on Wall Street and they will tell you that Goldman Sachs is one of the top places to build a career as an investment banker. In an effort to diversify recruiting sources and its workforce, Wall Street generally has been expanding the schools from which it recruits. Still, Alfieri's experience can still prove valuable to today's Wall Street hopefuls. There he met Vincent Cisternino, who also had dreams of working on Wall Street. Having started his career during the financial crisis, his advice to today's Wall Street upstarts is to stay positive and persevere.

☆ FDIC to consider bank size in applying 'special assessment fee'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The special assessment fee, which is required by law, will help the FDIC cover losses to its deposit insurance fund from backstopping depositors at Silicon Valley Bank, which collapsed earlier this month. Some banking groups have urged the Biden administration and the FDIC to temporarily guarantee all U.S. bank deposits, a move they say will help quell a crisis of confidence after the failure of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank (SBNY.O). The fall of SVB and Signature, the second- and third-largest bank failures in U.S. history, sent investors scurrying to safe havens like bonds while depositors moved funds to bigger institutions and money market funds. Depositors tried to pull more than $42 billion in a single day at SVB in early March, surprising regulators and kicking off bank runs across other regional banks. Reporting by Jaiveer Shekhawat and Hannah Lang; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ French prosecutors search bank offices over dividend stripping
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The PNF financial prosecution office said in a statement the probe was linked to so-called "cum-ex" dividend stripping, a trading scheme whereby banks and investors swiftly trade shares of companies around their dividend payout day. The searches by French prosecutors are the latest to hit global banks as similar investigations have been conducted in other European countries, including Germany. It was the highest-profile prosecution and longest sentence to date in a series of trials that have also convicted British bankers. It said six German prosecutors were also assisting the investigations. Reporting by Tassilo Hummel, Blandine Hénault and Sudip Kar-Gupta; writing by Silvia Aloisi, Editing by Giles ElgoodOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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