Former IMF chief Christine Lagarde said President Donald Trump's trade offensive against China could slash global economic growth and she critiqued his Twitter habits in an interview with US television program 60 Minutes.
The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday formally selected Kristalina Georgieva of Bulgaria to be only the second woman ever to lead the 189-member institution. The selection had been all but guaranteed after the global crisis lender said earlier this month that Georgieva, a former World Bank CEO, was the sole candidate.
European Union leaders have agreed on Tuesday on who should fill the top jobs for its main institutions for the next five years after a marathon summit marred by disagreement.
Italy's economy tipped into recession at the end of last year, according to latest figures. In the final three months of 2018, the economy shrank by 0.2%, following a 0.1% decline in the third quarter, the Istat statistics office said. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the contraction was likely to continue into 2019.
The pound has sunk in volatile trading after reports that a Brexit deal was near were downplayed by UK officials. Downing Street said “substantial issues” still need to be resolved as negotiators try to secure an agreement over the UK's exit from the EU.
Europe’s central bankers are warning that a gradual phase-out of cash in many countries poses a serious threat to the financial system, as relying too heavily on digital payment systems exposes them to catastrophic failures in the event of cyber attacks.
Asian shares wobbled on Friday as investors braced for U.S. tariffs against China, while the Euro flirted with two-week lows after a cautious European Central Bank indicated it would not raise interest rates for some time. U.S. President Donald Trump has made up his mind to impose “pretty significant” tariffs and will unveil a list targeting US$ 50 billion of Chinese goods on Friday, an administration official said. Beijing has warned that it was ready to respond.
The European Central Bank (ECB) has confirmed it will end a huge program to stimulate the Euro-zone economy in December. The ECB will stop its bond-buying scheme, worth €30bn a month, despite a recent slowdown in the bloc's recovery.
European regulators have warned banks working on post-Brexit plans that they will need to have substance locally to serve European clients. The European Central Bank said some of the proposals it has reviewed are inadequate and risk creating empty shells.
Paris has won a battle to host the European Banking Authority (EBA), which will relocate from London after the UK leaves the European Union. The French capital's victory follows a win earlier for Amsterdam, which will host the London-based European Medicines Agency (EMA).