SEC judge bars “Big Four” China units for six months over audits
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Chinese units of the global “Big Four” accounting firms should be suspended from auditing U.S.-listed companies for six months, a judge in the United States ruled, in an escalation in a long-running dispute over regulators’ acces…
Credit Suisse may agree $800 million U.S. tax settlement by July: WSJ
ZURICH (Reuters) – U.S. authorities and Credit Suisse could agree a settlement of more than $800 million by July for the Swiss bank’s role in helping wealthy Americans dodge taxes, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources.
Santander says will increase U.S. business equity by up to $2 billion
MADRID (Reuters) – Spain’s Santander said on Thursday that it intended to increase the equity of Santander Holdings USA – which houses its U.S. banking and consumer finance businesses – by up to $2 billion.
North Asia trio looks to export, consumption boost in 2014, China lags
TOKYO (Reuters) – The first weeks of 2014 showed North Asia’s manufacturing and export giants enjoying mixed fortunes, with South Korea and Japan starting the year positively, while China, the biggest of the trio, was still struggling to regain momentu…
China’s Wanxiang plugs Fisker bid, open to Tesla ties
HANGZHOU/BEIJING (Reuters) – Billionaire Lu Guanqiu, a former blacksmith’s apprentice who built China’s biggest auto parts company, says he has an edge over a rival bid for bankrupt U.S. plug-in hybrid car maker Fisker Automotive, and would welcome tie…
Standard Chartered boss says takeover talk is “rubbish”
DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) – Standard Chartered’s chief executive said takeover talk that has resurfaced around his bank after recent problems is “rubbish” and the Asia-focused lender’s prospects remain strong.
Italy’s jewelers in Asian, Middle East sights
VICENZA, Italy (Reuters) – Italy’s $8 billion jewelry industry is drawing interest from Asian and Middle East investors, keen to exploit Italian style and design as they battle for market share both at home and abroad, industry leaders at a major trade…
U.S. brings fraud charges against firm that vetted Snowden
(Reuters) – The Justice Department has accused United States Investigations Services (USIS), the private firm that also vetted Edward Snowden before he leaked documents about U.S. spying efforts, of bilking millions of dollars through improper backgrou…
Hyundai Motor posts first sales drop in three years as stronger won bites
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s Hyundai Motor posted its first year-on-year fall in quarterly revenue in nearly three years, as the stronger local currency weighed and imported rivals gained ground in the Korean home market.
Data dumps and pig farms; Inside Europe’s stress tests
LONDON (Reuters) – In his youth, Barrie Wilkinson studied how to stress test bridges. Now he is stress testing the euro zone’s biggest banks.
