Analysis: Financials near to regaining S&P 500’s top spot
NEW YORK (Reuters) – It’s hard to overstate the damage that the banking crisis caused financial stocks.
Ex-Argentina central banker Blejer tipped for Israel central bank post
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – A former head of Argentina’s central bank Mario Blejer has emerged as a top candidate to run the Bank of Israel after two nominees dropped out in an embarrassment to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Europe’s slowdown forces Finland to turn to Russia again
HELSINKI (Reuters) – After decades of pursuing trade with western Europe, Finland is becoming dependent on Russia again as that country’s burgeoning middle class and wealthy investors provide opportunities for growth lacking in recession-hit Europe.
Some Egypt businesses thrive in crush of economic downturn
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s smaller companies have struggled since the uprising that pushed aside Hosni Mubarak in 2011. But in a few corners of the economy, businesses are doing just fine.
All aboard for Europe’s shrinking bank branch network
MADERUELO, Spain (Reuters) – A queue of pensioners waits to board a brown and green bus in the medieval village of Maderuelo on Spain’s arid central plains. It only comes once a month and won’t take them anywhere, but they’re mostly happy with the serv…
Banks cut 5,500 branches across Europe in 2012
LONDON (Reuters) – Banks cut 5,500 branches across the European Union last year, 2.5 percent of the total, leaving the region with 20,000 fewer outlets than it had when the financial industry was plunged into crisis in 2008.
Reprivatisation of RBS bank ‘unrealistic’ in next five years: UK minister
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s largely state-owned Royal Bank of Scotland is unlikely to be reprivatised before 2018, Business Secretary Vince Cable said in an interview published on The Telegraph newspaper website on Saturday.
U.S. considering arrests in JPMorgan ‘whale’ case: sources
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. authorities are considering arresting two former JPMorgan Chase & Co employees for their alleged role in masking $6.2 billion “London Whale” losses, according to two people familiar with the situation.
Analysis: Taking BlackBerry private may make sense, but not a quick fix
NEW YORK/TORONTO (Reuters) – A deal to take BlackBerry Ltd private could make sense from a financial standpoint, say private equity executives, though any such move won’t by itself make the smartphone company more competitive.
After 9 years, Tesco gives up on cracking China alone
HONG KONG/LONDON (Reuters) – After nine years in China, British supermarket firm Tesco is to fold its unprofitable operation into a state-run company as a minority partner, becoming the latest foreign retailer to give up on trying to crack China on its…
