Bond traders worry liquidity will worsen as US market size grows

U.S. bond market participants are worried market liquidity will keep deteriorating as the U.S. Treasury continues to issue large amounts of debt to back deficit spending while dealers struggle to keep up with the ballooning size of the market. Liquidity – or the ability to trade an asset without significantly moving its price – has […]

Rouble swings to opaque trading territory after new US sanctions

New U.S. sanctions that forced Russia’s leading exchange to halt dollar and euro trading led to a range of varying prices and spreads as trading moved over-the-counter (OTC) on Thursday, obscuring access to reliable pricing for the Russian currency. The Russian central bank set its official rouble-dollar rate for Friday at 88.21, implying a strengthening […]

New Zealand orders inquiry into banking sector amid competition concerns

New Zealand will conduct an inquiry to assess competition in the country’s banking sector, focusing on services in rural regions, Finance Minister Nicola Willis said on Wednesday. The decision comes after a draft report in March by the country’s competition watchdog said New Zealand’s four major banks provided limited competition for personal banking, and that a focus […]

Americans are getting pickier, but they are still spending on hot items

Investors are scouring U.S. credit card spending patterns to size up which, if any, trends could give specialty retailers a boost in the summer months. Recent quarterly results from retailers show shoppers are selectively buying non-essential, nice-to-have products – forgoing electronics, but not being shy about plunking down cash on those wide-legged jeans they’ve been […]