Top Headlines
Draghi Fires Starting Gun on Corporate Bond Purchases in Europe – Bloomberg
The European Central Bank started buying corporate bonds on Wednesday, according to people familiar with the matter.
Hillary Clinton Made History, but Bernie Sanders Stubbornly Ignored It – New York Times
Revolutions rarely give way to gracious expressions of defeat. And so, despite the crushing California results…Senator Bernie Sanders took to the stage in Santa Monica and basked, bragged and vowed to fight on.
US, China Issue RMB Commitments – Profit & Loss
The US and China have jointly issued a set of new commitments aimed at developing renminbi (RMB) trading and clearing in the US, while simultaneously improving access by US institutional investors to Chinese capital markets.
MSCI and China: The A-shares Decision Looms – FT (subscription)
Next week, MSCI, the index provider, will announce whether it has decided to include China in its emerging markets indices. Coming almost a year to the day since mainland markets peaked, inclusion would mark something of an international rehabilitation for mainland stocks.
Brexit Contagion Is Spreading Across the EU, Pew Study Find – Bloomberg
Opposition to the European Union is growing across the bloc, suggesting that anti-EU sentiment extends much further than traditionally skeptical Britain.
EU Referendum: Plea to Extend EU Vote Register Deadline – BBC
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and other MPs say voter registration for the EU referendum should be extended after technical problems hit the official website.
Monkey Triggers Kenyan Blackout After Tripping Hydropower Plant – Bloomberg
A vervet monkey triggered a nationwide blackout in Kenya after it fell onto a transformer at one of the nation’s main hydroelectric plants, Kenya Electricity Generating Co. said.
Regulatory News
Top Republican Outlines Plans to Rip up Dodd-Frank – FT (subscription)
A top Republican lawmaker has set out a plan to rip up post-crisis financial reforms, saying the regulatory regime backed by the Obama administration has been based on “faulty principle, faulty premise and faulty policy”.
Jerome Kerviel, Rogue Trader, Wins Unfair Dismissal Case – BBC
The French ex-trader Jerome Kerviel, whose unauthorised transactions lost his bank €4.9bn (£3.82bn), has won a claim for unfair dismissal.
Company News
Weak Oil Prices Push Rosneft Profits Down 75% – fastFT (subscription)
Profits at Rosneft, Russia’s biggest oil producer, fell by 75 per cent in the first quarter as prices of the black stuff tumbled below $30 a barrel at the start of the year.
Have We Reached Peak Hipster? Sainsbury’s Is Now the UK’s Biggest vinyl Record Retailer – City AM
An interesting nugget came out of this morning’s Sainsbury’s (rather mixed) results: the supermarket said it is now the biggest seller of vinyl on the high street.
How The Beatles Sent Terra Firma’s Guy Hands Back to Court to Confront Citigroup – City AM
Those who were walking by the Strand yesterday may have spotted a familiar face, as Guy Hands and his legal team returned to court for the latest phase in the legal battle over his ill-fated EMI deal.
Amazon Raises Stake in India With $3bn Investment Boost – FT (subscription)
Amazon has revealed plans to invest $3bn in its Indian subsidiary, doubling down on a push to establish itself as the leading player in one of the world’s fastest-growing ecommerce markets.
Facebook Shareholder Calls for Change in Share Structure – FT (subscription)
Facebook has shown a “blatant disregard for shareholders”, according to one investor, as it lobbies for the social network to move towards a one share, one vote structure.
Market Savvy
Price Reversal in Currencies Catches CTAs Out – Profit & Loss
The currency sector was the main drag on CTA performance in May, as data from Societe Generale Prime Services (SG Prime Services) shows that CTAs have now completed their third consecutive month of negative performance.
China Trade Data – Economists React – fastFT (subscription)
May’s China trade data was a mixed bag that met some expectations while betraying others. Now economists are bringing context to bear on the trends afoot in the headline figures.
Asian Shares Return to Gains as Markets Digest China Trade Data – Reuters
Asian shares edged up on Wednesday, as markets digested Chinese trade data against the backdrop of a brightening energy sector outlook and an expected delay in interest rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Oil Hits Eight-Month Highs – Reuters
Oil prices rose for a third day to hit their highest in about eight months on Wednesday, boosted by industry data showing a larger-than-expected drawdown in US crude inventories, worries about attacks on Nigeria’s oil industry and strong Chinese demand for oil.
Rock-Bottom Bond Yields in Europe Hit All-Time Lows – WSJ (subscription)
Yields on the 10-year government debt of Germany and the U.K. fell to all-time lows, a stark demonstration of the modern era of scant inflation, weak growth and outsize monetary policy.