Top Headlines

Brexit Bulletin: Barclays and British Airways Sour Over Brexit Vote – Bloomberg

Add Barclays, real estate agent Foxtons and British Airways parent IAG to the list of companies warning about the aftershocks of the Brexit vote.

Accepting the Nomination, Clinton Casts Herself as Clear-Eyed Leader – Reuters

U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton cast herself as the steady leader at a “moment of reckoning” for America, contrasting her character with what she described as a dangerous and volatile Donald Trump.

AB InBev Profit Hit by Foreign-Exchange Charge – WSJ (subscription)

Anheuser-Busch InBev NV Friday reported a huge drop in second quarter net profit, as it reeled from a $1.77 billion hit tied to foreign exchange hedging toward its $100 billion-plus beer megamerger with SABMiller.

Economic Growth Stalls in France, Austria – WSJ (subscription)

Economic growth in France and Austria halted unexpectedly in the second quarter, while Spain continued to post the strongest recovery among the eurozone’s larger members.

Regulatory News

IMF’s Internal Watchdog Rebukes the Fund for Its Handling of Euro Crisis – WSJ

A long-awaited report by the International Monetary Fund’s internal watchdog gives credence to some of the fund’s harshest critics of the IMF’s handling of the European sovereign-debt crisis.

FEMR Implementation Report Sees “Significant Progress” – Profit & Loss

The past year has seen “significant progress” in the implementation of the Fair and Effective Markets Review (FEMR) recommendations; however, “the job is far from being done” as a “lack of trust in financial markets” remains and the focus is now on companies and individuals to address issues, according to an implementation report issued today by the chairs of FEMR and presented to the heads of the UK Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Company News

Barclays Profit Takes Hit From Asset Sales – WSJ (subscription)

Barclays PLC said first-half net profit slipped nearly a third as the bank sucked up losses selling down unwanted assets and put aside cash to cover an uptick in bad loans.

UBS Profit Falls But Beats Forecasts – WSJ (subscription)

UBS Group AG posted a reduced second-quarter profit on Friday that nonetheless topped expectations, as the Swiss bank cut expenses while it continued to contend with turbulent markets.

Market Savvy

Sterling Treads Water as Next Week’s BoE Meeting Eyed for Direction – Reuters

Sterling inched up against the dollar on Friday, staying within the ranges in which it has traded for the past two weeks, as investors eyed a Bank of England meeting next week that they expect will yield the first interest rate cut since 2009. 

BOJ Eases Policy by Doubling ETF Buying, Underwhelms Expectations – Reuters

The Bank of Japan expanded stimulus on Friday by doubling purchases of exchange-traded funds (ETF), yielding to pressure from the government and financial markets for bolder action, but disappointing investors who had set their hearts on more audacious measures.

U.S. Jobless Claims Rose, but Still Point to Expanding Labor Market – WSJ (subscription)

The number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits climbed last week, though the overall level remained consistent with a labor market that continues to expand.