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EUROZONE government bond yields rose on Thursday (Jan 19) after European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde poured cold water on speculation about a slowdown in its monetary tightening path.

MORE Brexit-related relocations from London and a rise in trading increased the number of bankers earning more than a million euros a year in the European Union by more than 40 per cent in 2021, the bloc’s banking watchdog said on Thursday (Jan 19).

BITCOIN steadied after snapping a rare 14-day winning streak as a mood of caution supplanted the risk appetite that drove up a variety of assets at the start of the year.

INDONESIA has raised its benchmark interest rate by another quarter point, bringing the central bank near the end of its tightening cycle as it balances the need to tamp down any lingering price pressures while safeguarding growth momentum.

MALAYSIA unexpectedly kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged, halting its tightening cycle earlier than expected, as a darkening global outlook poses risks to the economy.

WHILE foreign interest in Singapore properties has been on the rise in recent years, wealthy foreigners are likely buying assets under their individual names – instead of through their family offices – to circumvent financial disincentives.

BINANCE Holdings, the world’s largest crypto exchange, was named among the key counterparties to digital-asset platform Bitzlato, which has been accused of processing millions of dollars in illegal funds.

CHINA is expected to keep benchmark lending rates unchanged for a fifth month in January, a Reuters survey showed, although analysts think cuts next month are probable after the central bank pledged steps to boost a Covid-ravaged economy.

FEARS that a high-interest-rate environment will hinder innovation or private capital investment are overblown, according to private investors and financial regulators attending the World Economic Forum. But they do see room for some correction of valuations, and for more regulation in some parts of the financial ecosystem.

HIGH-grade borrowers in the US and Europe who seek to sell bonds for environmental, social and governance projects should expect no cost discount as in the past, according to Goldman Sachs Group.