Top Headlines
RBA Lowers Inflation Forecasts, Ready to Cut Rates Again – Sydney Morning Herald
The Reserve Bank has reiterated its commitment to its inflation target, suggesting it will not shy away from further rate cuts if price and wage growth remains sluggish.
- Dollar Firms Ahead of US Jobs Report, Aussie Hits Two-Month Low – Reuters
- Inevitable U.S. Hiring Slowdown Not Yet in Sight: Jobs Preview – Bloomberg
Exclusive: Top Reason Americans Will Vote for Trump: ‘To Stop Clinton’ – Reuters
The US presidential election may turn out to be one of the world’s biggest un-popularity contests.
Trump Raises Prospect of Replacing Yellen – FT (subscription)
Donald Trump would probably replace Janet Yellen as Federal Reserve chair if he wins the presidential election, the presumptive Republican nominee said on Thursday.
‘Boaty McBoatface’ Polar Ship Named after Attenborough – BBC
The UK’s new polar research ship is to be named RRS Sir David Attenborough, after Boaty McBoatface previously topped a public vote.
UK Local Elections Keep Pressure on Corbyn – FT (subscription)
Jeremy Corbyn’s allies were pleading for him to be given more time to prove himself after a night of poor but not disastrous election results kept up pressure on the Labour leader.
North Korea Kicks off Rare Party Congress with ‘Miraculous Results’ – Reuters
North Korea kicked off the first congress of its ruling Workers’ Party in 36 years on Friday, with Kim Jong Un expected to further consolidate his control over a country that has grown increasingly isolated over its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Goldman Said to Extend Fixed-Income Job Cuts to 10% of Staff – Bloomberg
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is cutting more jobs in its securities units, extending reductions in fixed-income operations this year to roughly 10% of workers there, according to people with knowledge of the situation.
Putin Walks Fiscal Tightrope as No End to Deficits Seen to 2020 – Bloomberg
If the Russian government’s in-house forecaster is right that muted oil prices are here to stay, budget deficits will stretch to the end of this decade, according to a Bloomberg survey of analysts.
Regulatory News
Trani indaga su Deutsche Bank per le mosse sui Btp italiani del 2011 – Republica
Ipotesi di manipolazione del mercato. Al centro dell’indagine la vendita di bond italiani per 7 miliardi di euro nel primo semestre del 2011. (Translated: Deutsche under investigation for manipulating the BTP market)
China’s AMAC Disciplines CITIC-Linked Asset Manager for Illegal Fund Pooling – Reuters
China’s funds regulator said it would discipline a CITIC-linked asset manager for operating a prohibited fund-pooling investment scheme.
Company News
Bats Reports First Quarter Adjusted Earnings
Monte dei Paschi Shares Enjoying Rare Day in the Sun – fastFT (subscription)
Good news has been in relatively short supply recently in the Italian banking sector but shares in Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Italy’s third-largest lender by assets, have bumped up 5 per cent in early trading, as first quarter profits beat expectations.
Centrica Hit by £1bn Loss after Shock Fundraising – The Times (subscription)
More than £1.1 billion was lost from the value of Centrica yesterday as the owner of British Gas scrambled to shore up its balance sheet with an unexpected share placing.
Market Savvy
Asian Shares Languish at One-Month Low Ahead of US Payroll Data – Reuters
Asian shares wallowed at one-month lows on Friday as investors braced for the U.S. April payrolls report after jobless claims data raised doubts over the seemingly rosy employment picture.
Fed’s Kaplan: Will Support Summer Rate Rise If Economy Picks Up Pace – WSJ (subscription)
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Robert Kaplan said in an interview Thursday he continues to expect the economy will be able to support a rate increase some time this summer.
China’s Steel Futures Suffer Biggest Weekly Loss ’09 – fastFT (subscription)
China’s steel rebar futures fell 9.5% this week, the biggest loss since the contract started seven years ago following measures by the country’s futures exchanges to curb speculative trading.
Singapore Banks Become a Hotbed for ‘Fintech’ – FT (subscription)
Banks have long used data analysis to predict market movements, investment returns, even risks of customer fraud. But Singapore’s DBS Bank is one of those applying predictive analytics to internal functions – using pattern-detecting software to spot rogue traders, and other unusual staff behaviour.
Spot Volumes Disappoint in April – Profit & Loss
The latest platforms to report their spot volumes show continued sluggish performance, with CME, EBS and Reuters all down year-on-year and month-on-month.