Headlines

Bank of Japan Deputy Gov. Ryozo Himino has backed the case for further interest-rate hikes if the economy and prices grow as expected, echoing recent comments from the central bank’s chief, the Wall Street Journal reported. Himino’s remarks on Wednesday suggest that the BOJ’s top officials are on the same page about the bank’s future policy path.

Israel’s central bank left interest rates unchanged, seeking to balance the impact of rising inflation against weak growth as uncertainty surrounds fiscal policy, Bloomberg News reported. The monetary committee kept its benchmark rate at 4.5% on Wednesday for a fifth straight meeting. In a statement accompanying the decision, policymakers largely repeated previous guidance, saying the focus should be on stabilizing markets, controlling price rises and supporting economic activity. Inflation has been on the rise, mostly linked to the war against Hamas.

Australian inflation pressures eased in July supported by government rebates aimed at offsetting soaring electricity costs and rising rents, the Wall Street Journal reported. The monthly consumer-price index, which is only a partial reading of economy-wide inflation, rose 3.5% in the 12 months to July 2024, down from 3.8% in June, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday.

Canadian credit card holders carried over C$4,300 ($3,200) in balances on average in the second quarter, according to Equifax Canada, marking the highest level since the agency began collecting the data in 2007, Bloomberg News reported. A high interest-rate environment and rising unemployment are straining borrowers, especially younger Canadians, the credit bureau warned in a report released Tuesday. Consumer debt levels topped C$2.5 trillion last quarter, jumping 4.2% from a year earlier.

Ukraine received widespread support from private creditors to restructure its overseas bonds, allowing the nation to secure much-needed debt relief to finance its fight against Russian aggression, Bloomberg News reported. The agreement more than two years after Russia’s invasion marks a swift resolution of the debt revamp following two rounds of negotiations in June and July, in which Kyiv asked bondholders to accept bigger losses than they initially aimed for.

Switzerland's federal criminal court on Wednesday convicted two top managers of a Saudi oil company on charges including fraud and money laundering in a vast scam that swiped at least $1.8 billion from a Malaysian state-owned investment fund, the Associated Press reported. PetroSaudi executive Tarek Obaid, a Saudi-Swiss dual national, received a seven-year sentence and British-Swiss associate Patrick Mahony was handed a six-year sentence from the Federal Criminal Court in southern Bellinzona, officials said.

Malaysia is weighing the return of a broad-based consumption tax instead of implementing subsidy cuts for a commonly-used gasoline as the government seeks to bolster its finances, Bloomberg News reported. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s cabinet has been discussing the viability of bringing back the goods and services tax, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is private. No decision has been reached given the political sensitivities.

Foreign investors in Byju's, including General Atlantic, have urged India's Supreme Court to hear their concerns as judges decide on the future of the insolvent education tech firm, a legal filing shows, Reuters reported. Valued at $22 billion in 2022, Byju's became popular by offering online training courses during the COVID-19 pandemic, but is now locked in a dispute with U.S. lenders seeking $1 billion in unpaid dues - a case that has triggered its insolvency.

Country Garden Holdings Co. told some investors that it is considering further extending payments on some of its yuan bonds as a prolonged sales slump adds to the Chinese developer’s financial stress, Bloomberg News reported. In an effort to gain more time to map out a debt overhaul, Country Garden’s main onshore unit may push back payments on several yuan bonds due in September by six months, the people said, citing private conversations. That would include 10% of the principal on its 4.38% notes due September 2026. Bondholders’ approval would be needed for the delays.

In recent weeks, bond traders have been piling into the perceived safety of Chinese government bonds, driving an epic buying spree that has pushed yields on the benchmark 10-year note, which move inversely to prices, to record lows, the Wall Street Journal reported. The rally has elicited an unusual response from China’s central bank, which is responsible for managing the state treasury and maintaining financial stability: Stop buying these notes.