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Four banks fined $132 million for sharing UK bond market information

LONDON -Britain's competition regulator has fined Citi, HSBC, Morgan Stanley and Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) a combined 104.5 million pounds ($132.4 million) for exchanging sensitive information about UK government bonds. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Friday that it had reached settlements with the banks over the sharing of information by their traders in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, between 2009 and 2013. The banks' traders shared competitively sensitive information that was relevant to the pricing of UK bonds, known as gilts, in one-to-one exchanges in Bloomberg chatrooms, the CMA said.

South African Firm to Amass Bitcoin Hoard in First for Continent

(Bloomberg) -- Altvest Capital Ltd. said it will become the first listed company in Africa to adopt Bitcoin as its primary treasury reserve asset, emulating a strategy that propelled a more than 2,400% surge in Michael Saylor’s Strategy.com since it started buying the token.Most Read from BloombergTrump to Halt NY Congestion Pricing by Terminating ApprovalTrump Targets $128 Billion California High-Speed Rail ProjectAirbnb Billionaire Offers Pre-Fab Homes for LA Fire VictimsSorry, Kids: Disney’s

Wall Street’s ‘Original Rogue Trader’ Nick Leeson Is Starting to Get Worried

(Bloomberg) -- As a growing chorus of bankers and politicians around the world demand the roll-back of crisis-era regulations, Nick Leeson — the former rogue derivatives trader who brought down one of the UK’s most venerated financial institutions — is starting to get worried.Most Read from BloombergTrump to Halt NY Congestion Pricing by Terminating ApprovalTrump Targets $128 Billion California High-Speed Rail ProjectAirbnb Billionaire Offers Pre-Fab Homes for LA Fire VictimsSorry, Kids: Disney’

Tokyo inflation likely eased in Feb on govt steps amid inflation pressure: Reuters Poll

Consumer inflation in Tokyo likely slowed down in February as the government reinstated steps to ease the burden from energy bills as higher living costs haunt persistent inflation presser, a Reuters poll showed on Friday. The core consumer price index (CPI) in Tokyo, a leading indicator of nationwide price trends, was seen rising 2.3% year-on-year this month, slowing down from a 2.5% gain in January, the median forecast of 16 economists found. "While food prices continue to rise, the pace of increase in core CPI is expected to slow due to lower electricity and gas prices led by the resumption of government support," said Shunpei Fujita, economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting.

Japan Yields Fall as Ueda Warns BOJ Can Step In to Smooth Market

(Bloomberg) -- Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda signaled a readiness to intervene in the bond market to quell a surge in yields, reiterating the central bank’s commitment to supporting stability as the prime minister and finance minister voiced concerns about the potential impact of higher borrowing costs.Most Read from BloombergTrump to Halt NY Congestion Pricing by Terminating ApprovalTrump Targets $128 Billion California High-Speed Rail ProjectAirbnb Billionaire Offers Pre-Fab Homes for LA F