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☆ 3 reasons why a major student-loan lender thinks millions of borrowers should be thrown back into repayment, with or without debt relief
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Student-loan lender SoFi filed a lawsuit to end the student-loan payment pause. The administration pushed back on the lawsuit, saying the payment pause is legal. Here are three reasons why SoFi thinks it's time for millions of student-loan borrowers to start paying off their debt. SoFi has suffered revenue loss from the payment pauseSoFi laid out direct harm the student-loan payment pause has caused its business. If the court does not end the entire student-loan payment pause, SoFi is asking that borrowers ineligible for broad relief reenter repayment and place a permanent injunction preventing the Education Department from giving those borrowers additional relief.

☆ M&A bankers trip over their cracked crystal balls
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The M&A pipeline generally has three components: announced deals that are almost certain to happen; announced deals that may not get over the line; and deals that have neither been announced or perhaps even conceived. Reuters GraphicsThere’s a much tighter relationship between equity markets and M&A, implying that CEOs pursue corporate marriages when their share prices are high. One common way to get around this problem is to look at the value of announced deals as a percentage of total worldwide market capitalisation. WEAKNESS IN NUMBERSUnsurprisingly, given all the uncertainty, some bankers take their pipeline estimates with an appropriately large pinch of salt. Reuters GraphicsFollow @liamwardproud on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSCompanies announced $3.6 trillion of mergers and acquisitions in 2022, according to Refinitiv, compared with $5.7 trillion in 2021.

☆ A major student-loan lender is putting millions of borrowers 'at serious risk of financial harm' by filing a lawsuit to end the payment pause, Biden's Education Department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Student-loan lender SoFi asked a federal court to end the student-loan payment pause. The Education Department said the pause is legal, and the lawsuit puts borrowers "at serious risk of financial harm." On Friday, SoFi Bank and SoFi Lending Corp. — a student-loan refinancing company — sued the Education Department and asked the District Court for the District of Columbia to end Biden's latest extension of the student-loan payment pause. The White House has not yet commented on whether it will consider additional relief, such as a further payment pause extension if its relief gets struck down. It also claimed that it has suffered direct harm to its student-loan refinancing business, saying that the student-loan payment pause "has eliminated the primary benefits of student loan refinancing.

☆ 126 Democratic lawmakers reaffirm to Biden that they think his student-loan forgiveness plan is legal — and they 'expect the legal challenges to the plan will fail'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

126 Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Biden expressing support for his student-debt relief plan. GOP lawmakers have continued to challenge the legality of his plan. Since Biden's debt relief plan was announced, many Republican lawmakers attacked that relief as unfair, costly, and an overreach of executive authority. Some Republicans have also recently introduced legislation to end the student-loan payment pause and block Biden from canceling student debt broadly. "The President has the legal authority to cancel student debt," Missouri Rep. Cori Bush wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

☆ A major student-loan lender just asked a federal court to end the payment pause — and return borrowers not eligible for Biden's broad relief back into repayment 'at minimum'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Student-loan lender SoFi asked a federal court to end Biden's student-loan payment pause. SoFi also detailed how it has been harmed by the additional payment pause extension. "Because the Moratorium suspended payments and interest for federal student loans, and because privately refinanced loans are ineligible for programs and policies applicable to federal student loans, the Moratorium has eliminated the primary benefits of student loan refinancing. After releasing its fourth-quarter earnings last month, Noto told Yahoo Finance that the latest payment pause extension will "subsidize people that don't need it." "The Department of Education should immediately cancel all federal student loans.

☆ Saudi bourse gains on upbeat earnings, non-oil activity; Egypt falls
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Ateeq Shariff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 5 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's stock market extended gains for a third session on Sunday on buoyant earnings and upbeat non-oil business activity, while the Egyptian bourse fell further on profit taking. The kingdom's non-oil business sector activity soared to its highest level in eight years in February, a survey showed on Sunday, based on a strong increase in demand and an optimistic economic outlook. "However, the developments in oil markets could still have an uncertain impact on Saudi stocks due to the current volatility." Outside the Gulf, Egypt's blue-chip index (.EGX30) eased 0.1%, extending losses on profit-taking after the market hit a high in February. According to a media report, the telecom firm and Huawei Egypt inked a cooperation agreement to foster cooperation in digital transformation.

☆ Most Gulf markets open lower on weak oil prices, rate-hike bets
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 27 (Reuters) - Most major Gulf markets opened lower on Monday, tracking Asian peers and weaker oil prices, as fears of further rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve dampened investors' risk appetite. Saudi Arabia's benchmark stock index (.TASI) fell 0.2%, extending losses to a seventh consecutive session. The Qatari Stock index (.QSI) eased 0.1%, dragged down by losses in financial stocks. Bucking the trend, Dubai's benchmark index (.DFMGI) rose 0.4%, lifted by gains in property and banking shares. ($1 = 3.7519 riyals)Reporting by Shamsuddin Mohd in Bengaluru; editing by Eileen SorengOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Banks, real estate shares weigh on Saudi; insurer lifts Qatar
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Shamsuddin Mohd | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 26 (Reuters) - Major stock markets in the Gulf ended mixed on Sunday, with Saudi Arabia's index pressured by real estate and banking shares, but a 10% surge in Qatar Insurance (QINS.QA) lifted the Qatari index. Among other stocks, Saudi Tadawul Group fell 4.7% after its annual profit declined more than 27% to 424.6 million riyals ($113.17 million). Middle East Healthcare (4009.SE) jumped 10% after its annual profit soared more than 300% compared to a year earlier. The Qatari Stock index (.QSI) rose 0.7%, ending three consecutive sessions of losses, buoyed by its financial stocks. The insurer on Wednesday hit a more than 13-year low after reporting a consolidated net loss of 637 million riyals ($174.14 million) for fiscal year 2022, compared to a profit of 630 million riyals ($172.23 million) a year earlier.

☆ Major Gulf bourses drop on Fed's hawkish tone
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Md Manzer Hussain | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 23 (Reuters) - Major Gulf bourses closed lower on Thursday as investors remained cautious after the U.S. Federal Reserve's minutes from latest meeting reinforced a hawkish tone, although the Egyptian index bucked the trend. Most Gulf currencies are pegged to the U.S. dollar, while Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar usually mirror U.S. monetary policy changes. With steepest intraday decline since Jan. 17, the index witnessed losses in almost all sectors, led by financial and energy stocks. The gulf region's largest lender Qatar National Bank (QNBK.QA) declined 2.1% and Qatar Islamic Bank (QISB.QA) plunged 9.6%, the sharpest intraday slide since March 2020 as the stock traded ex-dividend. Outside the Gulf, Egypt's blue-chip index (.EGX30) rose 1.4%, snapping its previous session losses.

☆ Iraq to allow trade with China in yuan - state media
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Iraq's central bank said on Wednesday it planned to allow trade from China to be settled directly in yuan for the first time, in an attempt to improve access to foreign currency. The central bank could, as part of its plan, boost the balances of Iraqi banks that have accounts with Chinese banks in yuan, it said in a statement. Another option would be to boost local banks' balances via the central bank's accounts with JP Morgan and Development Bank of Singapore (DBS), it added. The first option would depend on the central bank's yuan reserves, while the other would use the bank's U.S. dollar reserves at JP Morgan and DBS. The two banks would convert the dollars to yuan and pay the final beneficiary in China, Salih explained.

☆ Egypt to raise $1.5 billion with debut sukuk at 11% yield
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Yousef Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Egypt was set to raise $1.5 billion on Tuesday from its debut sale of Islamic bonds known as sukuk at a yield of 11%, a document on the deal showed. The three-year sukuk had initial guidance of around 11.625% and tightened after books closed with demand over $5.35 billion, the document reviewed by Reuters showed. Egypt's vulnerable finances fell into crisis after the war in Ukraine triggered heavy foreign investment outflows from Egyptian financial markets. The sukuk will be listed on the London Stock Exchange, issued through The Egyptian Financial Company for Sovereign Taskeek, with the finance ministry as obligor. The sukuk will help Egypt repay $1.25 billion in five-year Eurobonds, which carried a fixed interest rate of 5.577% and mature on Feb. 21.

☆ India, Singapore launch real-time link for cross-border payments
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Siddhi Nayak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Feb 21 (Reuters) - India and Singapore launched on Tuesday a real-time link to facilitate easier cross border money transfers between one of the world's biggest recipients of remittances and an Asian financial powerhouse. Transfers of funds will now be possible using just mobile phones due to the tie-up between India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Singapore's PayNow facility. UPI is an instant real-time payments system, allowing users to transfer money across multiple banks without disclosing bank account details. To begin with, State Bank of India (SBI.NS), Indian Overseas Bank (IOBK.NS), Indian Bank (INBA.NS) and ICICI Bank (ICBK.NS) will facilitate both inward and outward remittances while Axis Bank (AXBK.NS) and DBS India will facilitate inward remittances, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in a statement. At the launch event, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that cross-border retail payments and remittances between India and Singapore currently amount to over $1 billion annually.

☆ Thai banks' bad loans slow to 2.73% of lending at December-end -c.bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BANGKOK, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Thai banks' non-performing loans stood at 2.73% of total lending at the end of December 2022, down from 2.77% at the end of September, helped by debt restructuring, the central bank said on Monday. Bad loans are likely to increase but not sharply, while existing debt measures are sufficient to support vulnerable groups, assistant central bank governor Suwannee Jatsadasak told a news conference. The BOT will continue to monitor the debt servicing of households, which remained fragile, and the recovery of some business groups, the BOT said. Loans grew 2.1% in 2022, slowing from a 6.5% rise in the previous year, due in part to debt repayments by large businesses, the BOT said. Suwannee said lending was likely to grow in line with the economy but gave no specific forecast.

☆ Saudi bourse falls on Fed worries; Qatar gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Ateeq Shariff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 19 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's stock market closed lower on Sunday after U.S. economic data stoked fears the Federal Reserve will act more aggressively to curb inflation. Most Gulf Cooperation Council countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have their currencies pegged to the U.S. dollar and follow the Fed's policy moves closely, exposing the region to a direct impact from monetary tightening in the world's largest economy. The benchmark index (.TASI) in Saudi Arabia dropped 0.5%, dragged down by a 2.1% slide in Retal Urban Development Co (4322.SE) and a 0.9% decrease Al Rajhi Bank (1120.SE). In Qatar, the index (.QSI) bucked the trend to finish 0.7% higher, led by a 3.4% rise in the Gulf's biggest lender Qatar National Bank (QNBK.QA). ** Markets in Kuwait and Oman were closed for a holidayReporting by Ateeq Shariff in Bengaluru; editing by Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The Fed is playing a 'very fine balancing act,' economist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe Fed is playing a 'very fine balancing act,' economist saysSimon Ballard, chief economist at First Abu Dhabi Bank, says the market is now underestimating "the extent to which the Fed is aggressively going to chase that elevated, sticky level of inflation."

☆ Standard Chartered 'absolutely not' for sale, bank CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON — The CEO of Standard Chartered said the bank was "absolutely not" for sale following speculation of a takeover bid. Bill Winters told CNBC's Geoff Cutmore Thursday that a potential sale is not what the company is focused on. "But of course, we have a fiduciary responsibility to our shareholders and if somebody wants to come and thinks they can add a lot of value, as I've said, be my guest." The comments come after First Abu Dhabi Bank said Friday that it was not evaluating an offer for Standard Chartered. "First Abu Dhabi Bank PJSC notes the recent press speculation in relation to Standard Chartered and re-iterates that it is not evaluating a possible offer for Standard Chartered," the bank said in a statement.

☆ StanChart’s takeover defences are getting stronger
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

This year, he reckons the bank will churn out a near-10% return, rising to more than 11% in 2024. But if Winters can convince investors his new targets are remotely plausible, he’ll have a stronger case for StanChart’s independence. A typical offer pitched 30% above the price before the latest takeover speculation would value StanChart at just three-quarters of forward tangible book value. StanChart’s stronger takeover defences may be a problem for its suitors. StanChart earned an 8% return on tangible equity (ROTE), excluding restructuring expenses and a writedown of goodwill on the bank’s balance sheet.

☆ India's HDFC raises $3 bln in largest-ever local bond issue-bankers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Dharamraj Lalit Dhutia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MUMBAI, Feb 16 (Reuters) - India's Housing Development Finance Corp (HDFC.NS) raised its target of 250 billion rupees ($3.03 billion) in the country's largest privately placed corporate bond issue on Thursday, merchant bankers said. The country's largest housing financier, soon to be merged with private lender HDFC Bank, sold 10-year bonds at a coupon of 7.97% coupon. The issue received 92 bids worth 278.63 billion rupees, of which the company retained 55 bids worth 250 billion rupees, HDFC said in an exchange notice. The NBFC has now raised an aggregate of 784.14 billion rupees through bond issuance in this financial year, the highest by any company. Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and ICICI Securities Primary Dealership are the arrangers.

TOUGH TASK AHEADStanChart, which makes most of its profit in Asia, reported statutory pretax profit of $4.3 billion for 2022. That came below the $4.73 billion average of analyst forecasts compiled by the bank but beat the $3.35 billion it made in 2021. On Wednesday, Barclays (BARC.L) reported a 14% fall in full-year pretax profit as earnings were pole-axed by surging costs and a collapse in deal fees, among other factors. StanChart's financial markets trading business reported record income, up 21%, as accelerating inflation and Russia's invasion of Ukraine made for volatile markets, driving frenzied activity by institutional clients throughout 2022. StanChart also took a $308 million hit on its investment in China Bohai Bank (9668.HK), which it attributed to "industry challenges".

☆ Indian lender HDFC's biggest-ever bond issue to see strong demand - bankers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Dharamraj Lalit Dhutia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HDFC aims to raise at least 50 billion rupees ($603.4 million) through the sale of 10-year bonds on Thursday, with an option to retain an additional 200 billion rupees. If the company garners full the quantum, this would also be the biggest-ever privately placed debt issue by an Indian company. Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and ICICI Securities Primary Dealership are the arrangers for the bond issue. The company's fundraising via private placement stood below 250 billion rupees in 2013-14. HDFC is raising funds as it would help them meet capital requirements after the upcoming merger with HDFC Bank, bankers said.

☆ Adani looks to repay $500 mln bridge loan taken for cement deals-ET
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, Feb 15 (Reuters) - India's embattled Adani Group is in talks with lenders to repay a $500 million bridge loan facility it had taken to buy controlling stakes in cement companies ACC Ltd (ACC.NS) and Ambuja Cements Ltd (ABUJ.NS) last year, the Economic Times daily reported on Wednesday. The group is looking to repay the bridge loan with cash this month, the report said, citing people aware of the matter, adding that the loan had a tenor of six months and was part of a larger $5.25 billion financing package. The loan was underwritten by Barclays (BARC.L), Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) and Standard Chartered (STAN.L), ET reported. The financial consortium lending to Adani also includes DBS, MUFG, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Intesa and Mizuho, the report said. Adani and the lenders did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

☆ Most Gulf markets drop as oil prices fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Md Manzer Hussain | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 13 (Reuters) - Most Gulf stock markets fell in early trade on Monday, in tandem with weaker oil prices and Asian peers as investors were cautious ahead release of crucial U.S. inflation data. Oil, which fuels the region's growth, declined around 1% with Brent crude was down $85.66 a barrel by 0743 GMT. In Abu Dhabi, the benchmark stock index (.FTFADGI) dropped 1.1%, dragged down by a 2.9% loss in Alpha Dhabi (ALPHADHABI.AD) and 1.9% fall in Al Dar Properties, while the largest lender by assets, First Abu Dhabi Bank slid 2.1%. The Qatari Stock index (.QSI) fell 0.2%, weighed down by losses in industry and energy sectors with Industries Qatar losing 2.9% and Qatar Fuel shedding 1.5%. Saudi Arabia's benchmark stock index (.TASI) opened on positive note trading 0.6% higher.

☆ Morning Bid: The waiting game
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Worries over an economic slowdown, the direction of inflation and concerns about the pace of monetary tightening are all weighing on sentiment. But before that, UK GDP data for fourth quarter is due later on Friday and is expected to be flat, according to a Reuters poll. That's the third time it has scaled a new peak in less than a week and the GDP report will likely influence the market on the day. Investors are also waiting for Japan's government to present the new Bank of Japan governor nominee, also due on Tuesday. Since short-seller Hindenburg published its report on Adani last month, some $110 billion has been wiped off the value of the group's main seven listed firms.

☆ First Abu Dhabi Bank says not currently evaluating offer for StanChart
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SINGAPORE, Feb 10 (Reuters) - First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB.AD) (FAB), the United Arab Emirates' biggest lender, said on Friday it was not currently evaluating an offer for Britain's Standard Chartered (STAN.L). News of the potential offer first came on Jan. 5, when FAB said it had considered a bid for London-listed Standard Chartered but was no longer doing so. StanChart's shares rose by 11% on Thursday after Bloomberg News reported that the Abu Dhabi lender is considering reviving the bid once a lock-up period that prevents it immediately doing so expires, offering $30 billion to $35 billon. "First Abu Dhabi Bank PJSC notes the recent press speculation in relation to Standard Chartered and re-iterates that it is not evaluating a possible offer for Standard Chartered," the lender said in Friday's statement. It, however, added that it and related parties reserve "the right to announce an offer or possible offer for the company or make or participate in an offer or possible offer for the company," within six months of the date of this announcement.

☆ Morning Bid: Volatility stirs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

World markets end a rough week of confusing and competing narratives in distinctly edgy form, with peculiarly subdued volatility gauges flickering back to life. Both 10 and 30-year yields hit their highest levels in over a month early on Friday. Job shedding in the digital sector continued, with Yahoo's plans to lay off more than 20% of its total workforce. That said, the year-on-year oil price trend continues to be negative, as it's been all year and base effects from last year's price spike around the Ukraine invasion will only deepen that and weigh on headline inflation further. Goldman Sachs lowered its oil price forecasts for this year and next, cutting its Brent 2023 price forecast by $6 to $92 per barrel - still above current levels around $86.

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