ZenSaBi Stock index futures were higher on Monday as investors navigated a holiday-shortened week with eyes on the ongoing Iran conflict. Now, here are five news stories that broke overnight to watch out for: Treasury eyes private credit volatility: The U.S. Treasury Department is likely to hold the first in a series of meetings in the coming weeks with domestic and international insurance regulat...
ZenSaBi Stock index futures were higher on Monday as investors navigated a holiday-shortened week with eyes on the ongoing Iran conflict. Now, here are five news stories that broke overnight to watch out for: Treasury eyes private credit volatility: The U.S. Treasury Department is likely to hold the first in a series of meetings in the coming weeks with domestic and international insurance regulators to discuss recent volatility in private credit markets, Reuters reported. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been planning since January to initiate regular consultations with insurance regulators beginning in the second quarter, with the first meeting potentially announced as early as Wednesday. Meta’s internal research backfires: Meta Platforms’ ( META ) past efforts to study its impact on users are now backfiring, as internal research highlighted in recent court losses appears to contradict the company’s public claims . Brian Boland, a former Facebook executive who testified in trials in New Mexico and Los Angeles, told CNBC that damning findings from Meta’s internal research and documents seemed to contradict how the company portrayed itself publicly. Goldman sees improved outlook after selloff: After investors reduced exposure to U.S. equities last week, the distribution of near-term outcomes has improved, according to Goldman Sachs strategists. The team led by Ben Snider expects S&P 500 earnings to grow at a solid 12% this year, barring a severely prolonged disruption, with AI investment presenting a key tailwind. The first-quarter earnings season in mid-April will be key in providing clarity on the outlook and the impact of the Middle East conflict. “Project Hail Mary” dominates box office: “Project Hail Mary” continued its strong theatrical run in its second weekend, pulling in an estimated $54.5M and reinforcing its status as the year’s biggest breakout hit so far. The sci-fi film from directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, starring Ryan Gosling, slipped just ...
BBVA SA is working on a significant risk transfer tied to a portfolio of mortgages as banks press ahead with such deals amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. The Spanish lender is discussing an SRT tied to about €3 billion ($3.5 billion) of home loans with high loan-to-value ratios, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. High ...
BBVA SA is working on a significant risk transfer tied to a portfolio of mortgages as banks press ahead with such deals amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. The Spanish lender is discussing an SRT tied to about €3 billion ($3.5 billion) of home loans with high loan-to-value ratios, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. High loan-to-value mortgages typically involve borrowing 85% to 95% or more of a property’s value. With less equity as a buffer, lenders may face a greater risk of losses if home prices fall. Such loans often carry higher interest rates. Banks use SRTs as a way to insure loans against default, typically obtaining protection for between 5% and 15% of the loan value. That allows them to increase their solvency ratios and reduce reliance on less shareholder-friendly options such as issuing new equity. It also increases their leeway for new lending, acquisitions or shareholder payouts. The BBVA deal will be in part placed through unfunded credit protection, the people said, a friendly format for insurers whereby they don’t provide cash up front, but compensate the bank only if losses occur. The SRT transaction is equivalent to over 10% of the reference portfolio, the people said, and its terms, including size, are still being discussed with investors. A representative for BBVA declined to comment. Last week, the Spanish lender completed its largest SRT to date, linked to a portfolio of €4.5 billion corporate loans. Its pricing was “comparable to similar transactions” last year, BBVA said . BBVA generated 35 basis points of capital in 2025 — equivalent to the release of €11 billion in risk-weighted assets — by issuing SRTs, Chief Financial Officer Luisa Gomez-Bravo said last month . The lender is considering transactions tied to loans in Mexico and Turkey, she said. ING Groep NV, Deutsche Bank AG and NatWest Group Plc are among banks that are going ahead with SRT deals despite height...
Bank of China (Hong Kong), one of three note-issuing banks in the city, reported a modest 5 per cent growth in net profit last year, as exposure to the troubled mainland property sector offset its strong performance in the wealth business. The lender reported a net profit of HK$40.12 billion (US$5.14 billion), or HK$3.7947 per share, compared with HK$38.23 billion a year earlier, according to a st...
Bank of China (Hong Kong), one of three note-issuing banks in the city, reported a modest 5 per cent growth in net profit last year, as exposure to the troubled mainland property sector offset its strong performance in the wealth business. The lender reported a net profit of HK$40.12 billion (US$5.14 billion), or HK$3.7947 per share, compared with HK$38.23 billion a year earlier, according to a stock exchange filing on Monday. The results beat analysts’ estimates of HK$39.3 billion. BOCHK, the...
How Gas Prices Compare Around The World The war in Iran has driven up oil prices in many countries , with gasoline prices turning into a topic of discussion around the world. The increases have been particularly pronounced in emerging markets, with gasoline prices jumping by more than 50 percent in the Philippines and nearly as much in Nigeria (around 49 percent), with diesel rising even more stee...
How Gas Prices Compare Around The World The war in Iran has driven up oil prices in many countries , with gasoline prices turning into a topic of discussion around the world. The increases have been particularly pronounced in emerging markets, with gasoline prices jumping by more than 50 percent in the Philippines and nearly as much in Nigeria (around 49 percent), with diesel rising even more steeply. Advanced economies have also seen notable increases, with gasoline prices climbing by roughly 25 to 30 percent in the United States and Canada over the period, and diesel prices up by around 40 percent in both countries. Across Europe, price hikes have been more moderate but still significant, with gasoline rising by around 17 percent in France and Germany, while diesel (more directly linked to global trade and transport) saw stronger increases of up to 30 percent. In Asia, the picture is more mixed, with relatively limited increases in China , South Korea and Japan (from 2.5 to 10 percent for gasoline), reflecting in part the use of price controls and other government measures to cushion the impact of rising global oil prices. You will find more infographics at Statista However, as taxes are making up a big chunk of the gas price in the majority of industrialized nations, countries taxing gasoline at lower rates will still see lower gas prices in comparison. One example of this is the United States. As Statista's Katharina Buchholz points out , even at a gas price of around $4.29 per gallon on average, Americans are still paying much less to fill up their cars than people in many industrialized nations, including other car-based economies like Australia or Canada. According to website Global Petrol Prices, these two nations were already paying between $5.47 and $5.91 for a gallon. You will find more infographics at Statista Europe has some of the highest gasoline prices in the world. Most of Western Europe was paying upwards of $7.00 for a gallon of gas as of March 23...